Last Hope
by UltimoFiore
Summary: Sakura's life is structured chaos. Overworking herself to the point of exhaustion, she shuts out almost everyone around her. She's suffered too much pain to ever truly be whole again. Or so she thought. When she is ripped away from the only people left that she truly loves, how will she cope? Will it break her or make her stronger? Unknown pairings
1. Sakura

_I don't even know myself at all  
I thought I would be happy by now  
The more I try to push it  
I realize – gotta let go of control_

 _It's just a spark  
But it's enough to keep me going  
And when it's dark out, no one's around  
It keeps glowing_

 _Every night I try my best to dream  
Tomorrow makes it better  
Then I wake up to the cold reality  
And not a thing is changed_

 _And the salt in my wounds isn't burning anymore than it used to  
It's not that I don't feel the pain, it's just I'm not afraid of hurting anymore  
And the blood in these veins isn't pumping any less than it ever has  
And that's the hope I have, the only thing I know that's keeping me alive_

* * *

' _Fuck. FUCK,' she thought, willing her legs to go faster. Muscles pumping, she jumped from tree to tree with lightning fast speed. There was no time to turn around to check on her pursuer. She knew they were there. She could feel it._

 _It didn't matter anyway. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew this was a dream but she kept running, trapped in the nightmare her mind had created._

 _She knew she wouldn't make it. She never did. But something told her she had to try anyway._

 _With legs burning, she jumped to the ground, never missing a step. She picked up the pace, reaching into her weapons pouch and drawing out a kunai._

 _There was an urgent feeling in her stomach. She had to keep going. Something was wrong. Someone needed her. She didn't know who or why but she just knew it was important._

 _She could feel her chakra straining as it neared its end. Mentally cursing, she kept running, unsure of how much farther she had to go._

 _Her foot caught on a root and she tumbled to the ground. She attempted to get back up but her body wouldn't let her. It was as if she were glued there. She reached her arm out as the dark chakra of her pursuer surrounded her. It wrapped around her body, seeping into her pores, chilling her to the core. It was thick like smoke, choking her as it filled her lungs. It surrounded her, blinding her._

 _The last thing she saw was a pair of shining red eyes._

 _And then darkness._

… _._

… _._

Sakura awoke with a gasp. 'Fuck,' she thought, running her fingers through sleep tousled hair. Reaching out blindly, she grasped for the glass of water on her bedside table. She shakily brought the glass to her lips, quickly gulping it down. The nightmares were getting worse.

Slowly, she swung her slender legs off the edge of the bed. With a light huff, she stood and stretched her sore muscles. Her light blue tank top clung to the moist skin of her back and torso. Aggravated, she ripped it off and threw it into the laundry basket. Her body was drenched in sweat, adrenaline from the dream still coursing through her veins.

Stumbling through the darkness of her room, she made her way into the tiny adjoining bathroom. Unconsciously, she reached out and flipped the light on. It flickered to life, warming the room with its soft yellow glow. Squinting as her eyes adjusted, she took in the familiar surroundings. The bathroom was simple, it had a small counter space with a basin, a toilet right next to it and a stand-up shower in the corner. Everything was pure white, except for Sakura's dark green towels and bathmat. She slid the door to the shower open and stepped inside. Stripping down to nothing, she threw her remaining clothes out onto the spotless tile floor and slid the glass door shut. She turned the handle for the water and was met with a blast of icy cold. Her muscles tensed for a minute and then relaxed as hot water started pouring out.

She tipped her head back under the stream of water and closed her eyes. The water ran down through the length of her bubblegum pink tresses and down the curve of her back, soothingly the muscles that ached. She stood like that for a long time, letting the warmth seep deep into her body. In her mind, it was almost as if the water was cleansing her of the dark thoughts that had taken over during the restless sleep. She opened her eyes and sighed. Would the nightmares ever stop? She knew there had been a time when they didn't happen but that seemed far away, a distant memory now. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a restful slumber.

Reaching out, her long fingers wrapped around the cool plastic of her shampoo bottle. Popping open the lid, she brought it up to her nose and inhaled deeply. It was her favorite scent, vanilla honey. She tipped it upside down and the mild, milky white soap leaked onto her upturned palm. Placing the bottle back on the shelf, she worked the shampoo down the length of her thick locks. She had grown them out to where they almost touched her butt now. She had loved the practicality of short hair but around the time the nightmares began, she started losing weight. Her face became hollow and dark circles formed under her dark green eyes. She grew her hair out to draw the eye away from those features, though she wasn't sure if it really helped.

She rinsed the soap out and repeated the process with matching conditioner. Then she washed her face and body with a plain bar of soap and quickly shaved. Turning the water off, she slid the door open and grabbed the fluffy emerald towel hanging on the wooden hook next to the shower. She dried herself off and then hung the towel over her shower door to dry. Slowly, she went through her daily routine. Brush hair, brush teeth, lotion face, deodorant, and done.

She made her way back into her bedroom and turned on her lamp. The glow from the light illuminated her pale skin. She turned toward her door where a full length mirror was attached. Grimacing, she observed the person in the reflection. Yellow bruises covered her shins and thighs. Darker purple ones were on her arms. She had been training hard lately, trying to keep her mind off the demons that plagued her thoughts. Turning away she caught a glimpse of her alarm clock. It read 4:13 AM.

It would be useless trying to get back to sleep now, with dark images floating through her mind. She had to get up for work at 6 anyway. She got dressed in her regular attire. A tight, black long sleeved shirt, black knee length spandex shorts under short red canvas ones, bandages over her left thigh with her weapon pouch attached over them, and black sandals. Instead of her normal white lab coat she threw on a black, fleece sweater. She crossed her room to the large window and drew back the soft satin curtains. It was the only window in her room. She pushed it open easily and drank in the cool morning air. Drawing chakra into her feet, she made her way up to her favorite rooftop spot. She placed her hands on her hips, observing the quiet that was early morning in the village. The sun hadn't risen yet but it was painting the far East with a soft glow from just beyond the horizon.

Sitting down on the familiar, rough rooftop brought a rare smile to her face. There was a full moon far to the west, high up in the nearly cloudless sky. It shined silvery light onto every inch of the village below her. This was one of the times she was grateful for choosing to live on the top floor of one of the tallest apartment complexes in the entire village.

The cool breeze blew through her damp hair, sending a shill down her spine. She didn't mind through, it made her muscles feel awake. Peering down into the deserted streets, she thought back on the dream that had caused this early morning trip to the rooftop. 'That chakra… it was suffocating,' she thought to herself, as another chill ran down her spine. This one had nothing to do with the cold and she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She has been having the same nightmare every night for at least a month now. Some nights, it was worse than others. Tonight was the worst it had been in a while. It always starts off with her out on a mission, running through a dense forest. Before long, a dark, powerful chakra meets her senses. She tries hard to get away, but the dream always ends the same, with the dark chakra closing in, suffocating her with its power.

Something about this time was different though. Something that made it feel more sinister. She couldn't quite remember the details but she felt so scared when she awoke that it felt more real than dream-like. She sat pondering it for some time. Eventually, she decided she wouldn't be able to place the difference. By this time, the sun had risen a substantial amount and the village was starting to wake. She could hear the soft sounds of birds chirping in the distance and the occasional footsteps of someone passing by on the street below. She could tell it was nearly six o'clock as this is when her alarm would go off for work. Though she wasn't quite sure why she set it anymore, she was never asleep when it would go off.

Deciding it was time to start preparing for the day, she reluctantly stood and stretched. Suddenly, she felt a chakra presence behind her on the roof. Turning quickly, she got into a defensive stance. But then the presence was gone as quickly as she had felt it. She scanned the roof, sure that somebody had just been there, watching her. She walked to the far edge and peered over. Empty. 'That's strange," she thought to herself. Slowly she made her back over to the other side. Drawing chakra into her feet she prepared to climb back down the wall to her apartment. With one last look around, she disappeared over the edge.

Was she going crazy? She was sure there had been someone behind her. Normally her senses were razor sharp, it was rare she'd let something slip. Could she just have imagined it? Shaking her head, she slid her window open, attributing the entire situation to her being paranoid from her dream.

She decided to enter through her living room window. Looking around, she took in the mostly bare space that was her apartment. She wasn't one to spend a fortune on furniture, as she was hardly ever home anyway. Most of what she did have was second-hand but comfortable. She sighed, running her hand over the back of her beat up couch as she made her way to the kitchen. The couch used to belong to Ino. The two girls shared many memories on it. Whenever Sakura would go to Ino's apartment they would spend hours on it talking about everything and nothing. There were many tears shed and laughs shared upon that couch. To anyone else, it would just look like a worn down, plain, brown suede couch. To Sakura it was a link to many memories. The blonde girl's smiling face popped into her head and a darkness fell over her. 'I miss you so much Ino…' she thought to herself.

When she reached the kitchen, she grabbed the coffee pot off of her counter and began to fill it with water to brew her morning pot of liquid energy. It truly was the only thing that kept her going these days. As she set up the coffee pot, her mind drifted back to Ino. There was a time in her life where she took her friends for granted, never thinking once that they would be ripped away. Even as a shinobi, she was naïve for a long time. She had been sheltered, a fool really. Then she started losing those close to her. Ino, Choji, Sasuke, her parents… She would never take anyone for granted ever again.

Ino had been killed along with Choji on a mission a year ago. Their entire platoon was slaughtered by sound shinobi when they were on a mission to investigate a lead on Orochimaru. Sakura clenched her fists as she watched the coffee begin to drip into the pot quietly. 'I should've been on that mission, not her,' she thought miserably. Tsunade had switched them out last minute because Sakura's skills were needed to heal a badly injured team that had arrived at the hospital. As Ino was still a skilled medic they sent her instead, thinking the mission would be an easy one. However, it turned out to be a trap and the unsuspecting leaf ninja were unprepared for the onslaught. After her funeral, Ino's parents cleaned out her apartment. They planned to throw the couch away but Sakura offered to take it off of their hands. She had too many memoires on that couch to just let it get thrown in the trash.

The coffee's aroma filled the room as she sat down at her tiny kitchen table. 'I'll come visit your grave soon and bring your favorite flowers, I promise,' she thought silently as she picked up a medical scroll she had been studying before she had gone to bed. While she still worked at the hospital, her main job now was working for the interrogation unit. Most days, she interrogated common thieves and lower level spies from other villages that leaf shinobi would pick up around the village perimeter.

The coffee pot beeped, indicating that it was done brewing. Setting down her scroll she grabbed a plain white coffee cup out of her cabinet. That's when something orange caught her eye. Curious, she moved some other cups out of the way. She soon had a clear view of the large orange mug sitting toward the back of her cabinet. Naruto's face immediately popped into her head and she felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. She unconsciously squeezed the cup in her hand causing it to shatter. Startled, she looked down at the mess of white porcelain shards scattered across her black and white tile floor, stained crimson with her own blood. Mentally cursing herself, she went to the sink and began removing tiny shards from her wounded hand. Barely wincing, she finished up fast, closing the shallow wounds with her medical ninjutsu. She shouldn't let herself get upset about something that can't be changed.

Once Sasuke left, Sakura fell into a deep depression. Naruto tried his hardest to bring her out of it, but soon he had to leave to train. She was all alone. It was the first time in her life she had ever felt so useless. It opened her eyes to how weak she always was. Depressed and alone, she went to Tsunade and asked for her guidance in training. Thankfully, she agreed to help Sakura. If she hadn't, who knows where Sakura would have ended up. She didn't like to think about it. Through Tsunade's extreme training, she started to believe in her abilities. It was the first time she thought she had a chance of bringing Sasuke back. It took time but she started to bounce back a little, becoming that cheerful girl she once had been. But it didn't last long.

Sakura stared down into the puddle of deep crimson as she began to pick the porcelain pieces out of it. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the murky depths and hard eyes stared back. The cup had once belonged to her mother. Picking up a large piece, her eyes traced the familiar intricate design of blue flowers that had been etched onto the front, now streaked with crimson. It once belonged to a set of four, all matching. They were her mother's favorite. However, Naruto had already broken two on one occasion when he had been in her apartment before a mission. It was an accident and he felt awful. She hadn't been upset because she still had two more. She had knocked one off the table while Tsunade had her studying huge medical scrolls. This was the last one and now it was ruined.

After her parents' deaths she was once again brought down by depression. She had thought that her life couldn't go any lower than that point. But she was proven wrong when Ino died. With Naruto and Kakashi always gone on missions and Tsunade always busy with Hogake duties she really knew what lonely felt like. She let work take over her life, focusing on the minute details that others missed. After all, it kept her mind busy from thinking about the faces of the dead and gone. She had grown in the ranks quickly, her attention to detail catching Ibiki's attention. That's how she started working the interrogation unit.

When Naruto came back from training she had come out of her depression some. At that point, Sasuke had been gone for a year and her parents' deaths were fresh in her mind. Naruto was broken hearted to see her so distraught. He spent a lot of time with her then, trying to pull the old Sakura out of the hard shell she had grown. As sad as she was, she had to admit she really missed his cheerful attitude. It was as if a piece of her had been glued back into place. Though she still didn't feel completely whole.

It was rare she got to see him now. Naruto had grown into a hard-working, passionate shinobi. Everyone in the village had begun to respect him. He got put on more missions and him and Sakura rarely saw each other. They led different lives. Her skills were needed in the village while he was needed out in the field. She worried about him often but it comforted her knowing Kakashi was usually on a team with him. Naruto could be careless, after all, and she couldn't imagine what losing him would do to her.

When he first came back to the village after his training, they discussed the possibility of bringing Sasuke back. It was something Sakura had longed to accomplish, but couldn't do alone. It gave her hope seeing how strong Naruto had become. With Kakashi, surely they could bring him back. Together, Sakura and Naruto vowed to never give up on their lost teammate. That was four years ago. To sakura it felt like an eternity. Back then, it was frequent that they'd be assigned to missions to locate or track Orochimaru's movements. The hope that they'd run into Sasuke always hanging in the back of their minds. At one time, it was their top priority. However, there were only a handful of times Sakura could even remember coming in contact with the raven haired boy. Each meeting was short and bitter. He was strong. Too strong for them even with all of their training. They never gave up though, even when Sai got tired of chasing around their ex-teammate.

She knew even Kakashi still held onto a small hope Sasuke would come back. It was a bond that forever holds the three of them together, and she supposed Sai too. Even though he didn't really understand, he still stuck by them and that meant so much to her. There they were clear in her mind. The four people that still meant something to her. Naruto, Kakashi, Sai and Tsunade. They were the only people she would willingly die for and she knew they'd do the same for her.

Once the blood was cleaned up and no shards of the shattered porcelain remained, she finally poured herself a cup of coffee. Staring into its black depths, she recalled how time and time again she and Naruto failed. Countless missions. Countless hours of training. Countless tears. Over what? Someone that didn't give one fuck about them. If it was just her that would be one thing, but watching Naruto become more broken every time they failed eventually caused her to grow a hatred for their raven haired ex-teammate. There is a bitterness in her heart that has been there so long she doesn't think it could be defused.

It was that bitterness that caused her to become so distant with everyone. She was afraid to let herself get close with hardly anyone. After every failed mission, Naruto would come back here and they would cry over a cup of coffee together. Then he would spend the night and they would hold each other, sleeplessly, until the sun started to shine through the window. Then he'd get up and swear that next time they would succeed. It had been almost a year since their last lead on Sasuke. It was so long that Sakura had forgotten about Naruto's orange coffee cup stored up in her cabinet.

Now, it was rare that she even got to see Naruto. She still loved him more than anyone else and she knew he loved her too. There was so much pain that they shared that Sakura knew he was the only one who truly understood her. However, they were never anything more than friends. Best friends, actually, but nothing more. When Ino died, Naruto was the one there to comfort her. He stayed by her side through the funeral and the grieving afterwards. She had become dependent on him being around for her to lean on if she needed it and Naruto knew that she'd do the same for him.

Closing her eyes, she took a sip of coffee. 'It can't be helped, I guess,' she thought to herself. This is the path she had chosen. Naruto had become an ANBU a few months ago and Kakashi had reinstated his ANBU title as well. They had been taking non-stop missions ever since then. However, Sakura did not become ANBU. She's still a jounin because she would never be able to accept half of the missions required of her as an ANBU member. Tsunade needs her here at the hospital and she is a vital part of the interrogation unit. She does not regret this but thinking about the people she loves most out on the front line without her there to help really bothers her. If Naruto ran across Sasuke and she wasn't there to back him up, she'd never forgive herself…

Looking up through her window at the now bright sky, she realized that it was time to go start her day at the interrogation unit. Taking a deep breath, she placed the empty coffee mug next to the sink and made her way into her bedroom to retrieve her lab coat. She opened the door slowly and stood in the threshold for a moment, staring at her disheveled bed. Sighing, she decided to straighten it out later and went to her closet. She has a jounin vest, but prefers to wear the lab coat as it is lighter and made being on her feet all day easier. She replenished her weapons pouch with medicinal herbs, scrolls, and a few kunai she had taken out to sharpen. She brushed her hair quickly as it had become knotty as it dried. She stopped to take one look in her mirror to make sure everything was in order before she left. She gave herself a quick once over and frowned. Ino had always said she filled out nice but Sakura thought of herself as too skinny. She had developed some curves but nothing substantial. If she had to describe her body she would just say it was average.

She made her way out of her apartment, through the door this time. She decided to use the stairs because she had a lot of time before she needed to be to work. Plus, it gave her time to clear her head and get into interrogation mode. She began running through her list of daily duties as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

She stepped out into the bright sunlight and shaded her eyes. She noted how much warmer it was compared to her trip onto her rooftop earlier. However, it was still cooler than a summer day and she sighed contently. It was the perfect temperature. There was even a light breeze to keep it cool. She made her way through the streets of the village toward the interrogation building. She watched as the village around her began to start its day.

As tired as she was, she was looking forward to a long day of work to get her mind off of the nightmare. She recalled Ibiki telling her yesterday that there was a young man to be interrogated from the Hidden Cloud village. He said he couldn't be any older than 14 but his skills were equivalent to a jounin. He badly injured one of the leaf shinobi who had stumbled across him about 5 miles west of the village. He was alone and immediately attacked, catching the leaf shinobi off guard. He is a highly skilled jounin so the fact that this boy caught him off guard is very surprising in itself. What is most surprising, however, is the way he injured him. Sakura had gone to the hospital after receiving this information to evaluate the leaf shinobi herself. It was as if the boy had burned the man's eyes without ever touching him. He was lucky that he wasn't completely blinded. Without Sakura expertise, he may have been stuck with some degree of permanent damage to the nerves. However, he had managed to use an immobilizing jutsu on the boy just as he got hit with the eye burning jutsu. It wasn't long before the two of them were discovered by another group of shinobi that were patrolling. If he hadn't gotten back here so quickly, there is no doubt he would have been rendered blind.

As she passed by a shop, someone called out to her. She turned and an older woman waved to her. She smiled and waved back, making her way to the front of the shop. The old woman was the owner of the shop who had taking a liking to Sakura. She passed by here on her way to and from work and often stopped in to enjoy the woman's dumplings. They were Sakura's favorite in the whole village. As she approached, the woman smiled warmly. She held up a container of fresh steaming dumplings. "I packaged these up for you. Please, take them as my thanks for healing my hand yesterday," The old woman said with a smile.

Sakura frowned but reached out for the dumplings. "Masa-san, my services are yours anytime you need them. I do not expect gifts or payment. Please, allow me to pay for these." Sakura said, reaching into her pocket for money.

Masa held up a wrinkled hand, "Please accept them as my thanks. Do not insult an old woman now."

Sakura smiled politely and put her money away. She chatted for a few minutes about how the weather was beautiful and checked Masa's hand to be sure it was healing well. She had burned it and had it all wrapped up when Sakura stopped in last night. She said she didn't have anyone to watch the shop to go get it looked at at the hospital. Sakura had offered to heal it and she accepted happily. After saying goodbye, Sakura bowed in thanks for her dumplings and continued on her way to work.

Finally arriving at her destination, she headed through the tall doors and checked in at the desk. Collecting the files of the people she were to interrogate for the day, she stopped, remembering something that the jounin in the hospital had warned her about. He had said that he was almost positive that the boy used a visual jutsu to burn his eyes, because the second their eyes made contact they started to burn. She made a mental note not to look completely into the boy's eyes until they were able to figure out how the jutsu worked. Even if his chakra was drained she didn't want to take any chances.

She made her way down the long hallway, passing by a guard every so often. They nodded at her as she passed. Arriving at the room where the prisoner was being held, she took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing."

She stepped into the room and turned to face the boy. To most people the rooms in the interrogation unit would seem haunting. They are set up to make the prisoners feel uncomfortable, like they will never see daylight again. To Sakura, however, it was the familiar surroundings of her daily life. She spent more time in these rooms than anywhere else. Taking in the darkness, she transitioned immediately into interrogation mode. She looked the boy over. To her surprise, he had a light pink mop of hair covering his face. The surprise must have shown because he looked up at her and smirked.

"Are you here to torture me, _Sakura_?" He said with a hint of boredom in his voice.

He was bound with chakra suppression ropes and was sitting on the only chair in the direct center of the dimly lit room. Sakura immediately replaced the surprise on her face with her regular emotionless features. Her eyes turned cold as she surveyed him. He was very thin and if it weren't for the report of the jounin he attacked and his headband she would hardly believe he was a shinobi at all, nevermind a highly skilled one.

She mentally sighed. She could already tell the boy was going to be cheeky. "So you've heard of me before," she said as she began to slowly circle around his chair. It wasn't really a question. She knew that people in the other regions were familiar with her name and abilities. She was Tsunade's apprentice after all.

The boy said nothing, just smirked once more.

As much as Sakura hated to admit it, the fact that the boy had pink hair the same shade as hers really startled her. She wouldn't let him know it, but she was extremely curious about him. Even more so now, than when she had read his report and heard about his abilities. Once something has sparked her interest, she was determined to learn everything about it. She had never met anyone with the exact same, unfortunate shade of hair as her. She was adopted as an infant, no more than a few weeks old. Her biological mother, from what she had heard, was found outside of the village badly injured and very pregnant. A shinobi had brought her back to the village where Sakura was delivered through a c-section. Her mother was too badly injured and never awoke. The doctors were worried that if they did not deliver the baby immediately, that she would die with her mother. Her mother was not wearing a headband and had nothing on her other than the clothes she wore. It was a mystery where she came from.

As far as she knew, even her own mother had light brown hair. When she was delivered, the doctors were surprised by her bright pink hair. Her adoptive parents, civilians in their late 40s who were too infertile to ever have children of their own, fell in love with her. They adopted her and named her Sakura due to the unique color of her hair. The thought of her adopted parents brought a sad smile to her face. They died shortly after she turned 15, right before Naruto came back to the village from his training. Her house burnt down while she was away on a short mission for Tsunade. Her parents were asleep and never made it out. The porcelain cups were one of the only salvageable things from the fire.

She had lost everything. All of her clothes, belongings, and all of her shinobi gear. She even lost her beloved picture of team 7. At first she stayed with Ino, who let her borrow clothes and gear until she could afford some of her own. Once Naruto came back, she decided to stay with him upon his invite. She stayed there for about six months until she became a jounin. Then she was finally getting paid enough on missions to get a place of her own. That's what brought her to the apartment she lives in now.

Whenever she thinks of her parents she feels guilty. They never wanted her to become a shinobi. They thought it was too dangerous for their delicate daughter. However, ever since she was a young child she was obsessed with becoming a ninja. When her mother would walk her to the market she would be amazed by the young children in the park throwing shuriken at the posts and showing off to their parents. She remembered the melt down that ensued later on when her parents wouldn't enroll her in the ninja academy.

She inwardly smirked. She obviously won that argument. And then she mentally sighed. She always felt as though if she hadn't been so focused on training to bring Sasuke back, maybe she would have been there to get them out of the house on time. 'Or you would've been dead, too,' her inner self muttered and she actually sighed. The boy in front of the laughed, bringing her out of her memories.

"Do you plan on getting started or are you going to circle me like a shark all day?" The boy said, looking even more bored.

Sakura glared at the back of his head. She mentally cursed herself, 'I never let myself get distracted like this.'

She walked up to the table situated in the front of the room. She withdrew some weapons from her pouch and laid them in a line on the table. She didn't like to use force if it wasn't necessary, but she was prepared if he turned out to be difficult. Her main approach was much more affective anyway. She smirked and set her genjutsu into work. 'Let's get to it then,' she thought with a mental smirk and turned to face her victim.

* * *

She exited the room with a frown.

'Three fucking hours and no useful information,' she thought. She was not looking forward to telling Ibiki about this.

After reporting to Ibiki, she was required to report to the hokage tower and let her mentor know any details. As scary as Ibiki could be, he looked almost innocent compared to an aggravated Tsunade.

Focusing on her thoughts, she opened the door to the outside and ran straight into something solid. Startled, she looked up to see what she ran into and realized that some _thing_ was actually a some _one_.

"Kakashi!" She exclaimed as she instantly recognized the familiar orange book carrying, masked man in front of her.

"You should really be more aware of your surroundings, Sakura. You are a shinobi after all." He said, giving her his typical wrinkled eye smile and ruffling her hair.

Giving him a look that could kill, she grumbled, "you're really one to talk, always walking around with that book in your face."

He observed her carefully, making note of the emotionless tone in her voice that was so unlike the Sakura he always knew. She had been like this for quite some time, he knew, but it always surprised him nonetheless. Something else surprised him as well. He took in her outfit, noting the blood smatterings across her white lab coat. He decided he didn't want to know. He heard that she had been accepted by Ibiki as part of the interrogation unit. Since then, she had made a reputation for herself as one of the most effective interrogators in the leaf. He knew she had been through a lot in her life, but she never seemed like the type of person to get enjoyment out of torturing people. Of course, he doesn't get to see her much these days. One thing hasn't changed though, she still liked to give him shit about reading his favorite novel.

He laughed out loud and thought, 'I guess some things never change.'

Sakura narrowed her eyes at her former sensei, "what's so funny, Kakashi?"

He looked down at her over the top of his book, "oh nothing, it's just I missed my favorite female student."

Sakura scowled. "I'm your only female student, Kakashi. Anyway, what are you doing here? Weren't you on a mission?"

That made Kakashi actually look up. He slid his book in his pouch and glanced back down at Sakura. "That's right. Lady Tsunade sent me over here to wait for you to finish. She wants to see us in the Hokage tower. I believe she has a mission for us."

Sakura stared at him, stuned. 'A mission… seriously?'

Kakashi just nodded once, hooking his thumbs in his pockets.

"Alright then, well we better get going, you know how Lady Tsunade gets when she is kept waiting," Sakura said as she started walking toward the Hogake tower.

"Right," Kakashi agreed and they hurried off to their destination.

* * *

*Knock, knock, knock*

Sakura lowered her fist from the heavy, wooden doors of the Hokage's private office.

"Come in," grumbled a familiar female's voice from beyond the door.

Sakura pushed open the door and stepped inside with Kakashi right behind her.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" A voice screamed as Sakura was crushed in a hug. Gasping for air, Sakura struggled against the familiar blond boy who had his arms around her.

"Naruto…. *gasp* are you trying to kill me?" Sakura sputtered out.

Scratching the back of his head, he laughed. "Sorry! I mean, I just haven't seen you in so long! I missed you so much, Sakura-chan." He let her go and she stumbled away, trying to catch her breath.

Sakura smiled at him sadly and said," I've missed you too, Naruto." And thought to herself, 'more than you'll ever know.'

Naruto looked at her and smiled excitedly, pointing at where the Hokage was seated watching the exchange, "Guess what! Grandma here says we have a mission together for once."

Sakura risked a glance at the Hokage's face, afraid of how she was going to react to Naruto's insult. To her surprise and relief the Hogake chose to ignore it.

This also made Sakura worried. Tsunade had a serious look on her face that only appeared when she was either about to deliver bad news or was extremely worried about something.

Sakura turned to her, "Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade closed her eyes. She thought about how she should deliver the news to the three shinobi in front of her. She has watched Naruto and Sakura grow into strong, capable individuals. She could even see Kakashi has grown. There was no doubt in her mind this was due to the bond he shared with his former students. They had filled an empty void for him in his life and gave him someone to live for. Unfortunately, Sasuke was included in that group of former students. She knew how deeply rooted the three shinobi standing in front of her were with the traitor Uchiha. That's what made this news hard. She silently wondered if she should have gotten a different team…

'No, these three are by far the most qualified. Their roots with the Uchiha make them even more qualified than other shinobi in the village,' she decided silently.

"Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzamaki, and Kakashi Hatake, I have news regarding Sasuke Uchiha." She said with a stern voice.

The three shinobi froze in their spots.

It was silent for a minute while they all took this information in. Sakura was the first to speak.

"Lady Tsunade… We haven't gotten any leads on Sasuke in over a year. We weren't even sure he was still alive. Is the source you got this information from trustworthy?"

Tsunade sighed, "Yes, I am sure. There's no doubt about it. Sasuke Uchiha has been spotted in the Land of Lightning. The report I received said he was injured and alone. It is your mission to bring Sasuke back to the village. If you can't bring him alive, he is to be brought back dead."

Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Kakashi stared at the hokage in shock. However, beside them, Sakura's eyes grew cold.

Naruto threw his hands up in the air, "How can you ask us to kill him?! You know how much he means to us. We aren't just going to go in there and-

Sakura stepped forward cutting Naruto off, "We understand, My Lady. Sasuke Uchiha is to be brought back at all costs."

Tsunade's eyes flickered between Naruto and Kakashi's shock filled faces and Sakura's cold, determined one. She knew how Sakura felt about Sasuke at this point. She locked eyes with Sakura and nodded, "very well, Sakura you will be the team captain for this mission."

Sakura nodded and stepped back in line next to Naruto and Kakashi. She had to admit, she was surprised. She was the lowest rank out of the three of them. She expected Tsunade to give Kakashi the team leader position like usual, but thought she understood why she didn't. As strong as Kakashi is, he still has a soft spot for Sasuke, kind of similar to Naruto. Sakura had a harder disposition when it came to Sasuke. 'This has gone on long enough,' she thought to herself bitterly. 'I'll be damned if I let Naruto get hurt again. After all the times he's been there for me, I won't let him hurt over Sasuke anymore.'

Naruto and Kakahi both stared at Sakura like she slapped them. The hurt in their eyes was almost unbearable. She turned away and let her face become impassive. 'I'm sorry Naruto,' she thought sadly, 'I may have to break my vow to bring Sasuke home safe if it means protecting you.'

Tsunade looked at Naruto and sighed, "I'm sorry Naruto. It is the only way. We can't afford for Sasuke's trail to go cold again. He's too great a threat to this village. If you can bring him back alive he will receive a fair trial. However, if you can't he must be killed, there is no other option."

Naruto looked at the floor with pain filled eyes. It took him a minute but then he looked up with a new, determined look on his face. Then he said, "Well, looks like we will just have to do everything necessary to bring him back alive then."

Kakashi nodded and Tsunade smiled. Sakura, however, just clenched her fists.


	2. The Storm

Sakura sat next to Ino's grave, staring out across the vast expanse of the cemetery. She had passed Shikamaru on her way in and they exchanged brief pleasantries before he went on his way. She glanced over at the two new sets of flowers propped up against the plain, gray headstone. One bouquet was from her. They were lilies, Ino's favorite. She always claimed she loved the simple beauty of them. The other bouquet was a mix of brightly colored daisies.

Sakura knew the daisies were from Shikamaru. She had see him carrying them through town in this direction on a few occasions. He would leave one set for Ino, one for Choji and the last for Asuma. After Ino's death, Sakura spent many quiet evenings after work and missions here in the cemetery with Shikamaru. They silently grieved together and then would go their separate ways. His presence was a comfort, especially because she knew he felt the same emptiness inside of him that she did. Maybe even more so, having lost both teammates and his sensei. However, when he was done visiting the cemetery he would head home to his family. A family which now included Temari, as they had gotten engaged about a year and a half ago. Through all of Shikamaru's loss, at least he had Temari to lean on.

She sighed and stretched, standing to leave. Bending over, she ran her fingers across Ino's name, deeply engraved upon the cold gray stone. 'Watch over me, Ino-pig,' she thought to herself sadly. She would have stayed longer if it wasn't for her having to prepare for her upcoming mission. She thought back on how her conversation with Tsunade had gone after Kakashi and Naruto left.

* * *

" _Lady Tsunade, I will not let you down," Sakura said as the door shut behind her two teammates. Turning to leave herself, Tsunade called out to her._

" _Sakura, stay for a minute. I'd like to have a word with you," Tsunade said sternly._

 _Sakura bowed and stepped closer to her mentor's desk. Tsunade stared at her over clasped hands for some time before finally speaking._

" _I'm sorry to drop this mission on you. I know it has been a while since you went out on one," Tsunade stated._

 _Sakura winced at this and Tsunade held up a hand._

" _I know how you feel about having to stay within the village all the time. Once again, I'm sorry. Your skills are extremely valuable here. We can't afford to send you away all the time. That, however, does not mean you are less capable of handling missions. On the contrary, your skills make you an equal to Naruto and Kakashi, even if your rank doesn't say so," Tsunade said. She closed her eyes and turned to face the window. "I care about you deeply, Sakura. You are like a daughter to me. I know your feelings for Uchiha have changed. Am I correct in saying you no longer feel the attachments to Sasuke that Naruto does?"_

 _Sakura nodded at this. She knew that she didn't exactly keep it a secret how she felt about Sasuke. She felt guilty for betraying her vow to Naruto but her feelings for him were stronger than anything she felt for Sasuke now. If killing Sasuke would save Naruto in the long run, she would do it._

" _However," Tsunade said looking directly into Sakura's eyes, "if there is any way you can save Sasuke, you must do it. No matter the hatred you feel for him now, he still has information valuable to this village. As you know, the Akatsuki is still after Naruto. Sasuke may have information of their actions and whereabouts. If we could even get information on the location of one member, we could possibly stop them from collecting any more jinchuriki."_

 _Sakura clenched her teeth together. She wanted to make Sasuke pay for the pain he caused but deep down she knew her sensei was right. They needed to take care of the Akatsuki problem if Naruto was ever going to be safe. She nodded with a frown._

" _My lady," Sakura said tentatively, "if we are to bring Sasuke back alive, I would like to make a request."_

 _Tsunade looked up at her student, intrigued. After a moment, she motioned for her to continue._

 _Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I would like to be the one to interrogate him."_

 _At first Tsunade's eyes widened, just for a second, and then her face returned to normal. The room was silent for a moment as Tsunade contemplated her student's request. There was no doubt in Tsunade's mind that Sakura could handle it. She had proven herself plenty of times, especially when it came to interrogations. 'However, I wonder how it would affect her relationship with Naruto…" Tsunade wondered silently._

 _After a few moments, Tsunade nodded her approval. Sakura bowed as thanks and then addressed her mentor again, "also, my lady, speaking of interrogations, before I go I would like to brief you on the progress I have had with the young shonobi that nearly blinded one of our jounin the other day."_

 _Tsunade leaned back in her chair folding her hands in her lap, nodding for Sakura to continue._

" _The only substantial information I could get out of him was that he was, in fact, sent here from the village hidden in the frost to gather information. However, I couldn't get him to reveal what type of information he was looking for," Sakura explained._

 _Tsunade nodded, they had already figured as much._

 _Sakura continued, "I also found out his name is Daisuke Hiruko. He belongs to a small clan that resides within the village hidden in the frost. However, I wasn't able to obtain much information about them either."_

 _Tsunade sighed, "This boy sounds like he isn't going to break very easily."_

 _Sakura shook her head, agreeing with the hogake. She hesitated before asking Tsunade what really had been bothering her._

 _Tsunade, sensing Sakura's hesitation, leaned back in her chair, "What is it, Sakura? Is there something else I should know?"_

 _Sakura sighed, "Well… not exactly. You see, I know I've already asked you before, but you don't know where my biological mother is really from, do you?"_

 _Tsunade shook her head, "Everything that we have on file you already know about. Why do you ask?"_

" _Well," Sakura said, "have you seen this boy?"_

 _Tsunade shook her head._

 _Sakura brought her hands up to rub her temples. She wasn't sure why she was bringing it up, it was probably just a strange coincidence. "The boy has the same color hair as me," Sakura said after a minute._

 _Tsunade raised her eyebrows. 'That_ is _interesting,' Tsunade thought. "You think he may possibly be related to you?" Tsunade asked._

 _Sakura shrugged, "I really don't know. I mean, it could just be a coincidence. We have different eye colors, his are dark green. Well, I think so, I was avoiding looking into his eyes. That's what his file said based on what the jounin who was injured reported. I just couldn't help but bring it up."_

 _Tsunade nodded and folded her hands under her chin, "I understand your curiosity, Sakura, but it will have to wait to be looked in to. I will assign Ibiki to his interrogation now. You must focus on your mission. However, I would like you to stop back there tonight before you prepare. Tell Ibiki what I have decided about the boy and run him through everything you have told me already. Also, it wouldn't hurt to try some more interrogation tactics on the boy with Ibiki present."_

 _Sakura bowed and turned to leave._

" _Oh, and one more thing," Tsunade said, her brow creasing with worry, "Please, be careful."_

* * *

Sakura began walking through the dark streets toward the interrogation headquarters. She looked down at her feet, something catching her eye. She stopped. She hadn't realized she'd been wearing her blood stained lab coat through the village the whole day. That was probably why the villagers were all avoiding her and giving her strange looks. She shrugged out of the jacket and carried it over her arm, the blood splatters hidden from view. Not that it mattered now anyway, it was getting dark.

As much as she wanted to prepare for this mission, she was equally as anxious to get information out of the boy. He was a mystery and it was driving her nuts that she couldn't solve it. Especially now that he was going to be transferred to Ibiki. As she neared the building, she had a thought. A small smirk appeared on her face as she pushed the door open.

The main area was deserted. She went straight down the hallway toward Ibiki's office. Before she could knock, however, she heard voices coming from the door. Then the door opened to reveal Anko and Ibiki. They stopped when they spotted Sakura. Anko nodded at her in greeting and then turned and said goodbye to Ibiki, hurrying down the hall where Sakura just came from. Mentally, Sakura laughed, Anko had a thing for Ibiki and he was clueless.

Once Anko was gone Ibiki turned to her, motioning for her to step into his office. She obliged, stepped around him and sitting in one of his beat up armchairs. He shut the door and took his place at his desk. "What can I do for you, Haruno?" He asked, leaning back and putting his feet up. He seemed so casual but Sakura knew better. She'd seem him mad too many times to know that one second he would be relaxed, the next biting someone's head off. Luckily, it was rarely her. She had a way of avoiding that side of him.

Sakura sighed, tapping her finger on the armrest of the chair. 'Where to begin,' she thought to herself.

"Well, to begin with, the Hokage sent me over here to deliver a message," She said. "You are to finish interrogating the prisoner that had been assigned to me."

Ibiki scoffed, "The Hokage's little apprentice couldn't handle the job. I don't believe it." He chuckled a low laugh.

Sakura smirked, "You know that has never been the case with me Ibiki. I handle whatever you throw my way and efficiently too." Ibiki smirked and Sakura continued, "actually, I've been assigned to a mission."

This time Ibiki didn't laugh. He sat up straighter, a frown slightly appearing on his scared face, "This isn't about that Uchiha kid again, is it? I thought your team had finally given up on that traitor."

Sakura's face stayed emotionless. She knew Ibiki hated Sasuke. Most people did, he was a traitor to the village, after all, helping Orochimaru for a long time. Most shinobi would love to be the one to bring a dead Sasuke back. Ibiki, however, preferred people come back alive, then he got to use his skills. Usually by the time he was done, people wished they were dead.

"The details for this mission are highly classified," Sakura said, keeping her voice even. Ibiki was not convinced. "Right. Well, if you manage to catch him this time, be sure to bring him back to me." He said, eyes flashing.

Sakura wanted to tell him that if by some chance Sasuke did come back alive, she would be the one to interrogate him. But instead she continued on, "As I was saying, you will be required to finish interrogating the boy. As a matter of fact, the Hokage suggested that we both continue the interrogation tonight before I leave, so as to get information quickly, and not block up your schedule."

Ibiki's eyes narrowed, "Oh, the Hokage said that, did she? How generous of her. She's never been concerned of my schedule before."

Sakura met his gaze, "Are you suggesting that you don't want to follow the Hokage's orders Ibiki? I'm sure she wouldn't be pleased to hear we hadn't gotten any farther with the boy."

Ibiki stood, "No, no. Let's go. Better to not make the Hokage angry. Besides," he looked at her with a sly smile, "I've been meaning to evaluate your skills anyway."

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was one of the best he had, if not the best. She stood and they started down the hallway toward the room holding the boy. Mentally, Sakura smirked, 'he fell for it.'

They reached the room in no time and she briefed him on what she had accomplished earlier, before the entered. They both stepped through the door and it closed with a soft click behind them. The boy was slumped forward in the chair, blood covering the front of his clothing. Sakura had ended up breaking his nose when he wouldn't answer her questions. The genjutsu didn't work and force did very little. But she had an idea and that's why Ibiki was here.

The boy chuckled as he lifted his head, taking in the two shinobi in front of him. "Sakura, you're back so soon. And you even brought a friend."

Ibiki stepped forward, drawing the boy's attention to him. As he was focused on Ibiki, Sakura disappeared into the shadows, closer to the wall. When there, she began to set up her genjutsu while the boy was distracted. It was something she had developed while working with Ibiki on other hard to break prisoners. Surprisingly, they worked well together. This technique had never failed before.

Sakura worked quickly, setting her jutsu into place. Slowly, Ibiki's skin began to sag. The boy watched him, confused. Ibiki stopped, his face shocked. He lifted up his head as if confused as to why his skin was sagging. Then he started screaming. His skin started bubbling and popping, slowly all melting off, leaving only bones to be seen. The boy was confused, he looked around but couldn't see Sakura where she was hidden.

The boy looked horrified as the puddle that was once Ibiki started to leak toward him on the floor. Sakura cackled a high pitched laugh from when she was hidden. The boy looked toward the laugh. "What the… What did you do?" He asked, staring into the darkness.

Then he looked down at his own hands. The skin started to sag. He screamed. The skin started to bubble and pop just like Ibiki's. The boy screamed and screamed. Sakura slowly walked up to him. Reaching out she grabbed his hand. The screams carried on and on.

Sakura smiled sweetly at him and then snapped a finger. The boy's eyes rolled back into his head with the pain. Even though his skin was only an illusion, he still felt it as if it were real. It was a powerful genjutsu. It made even nerve in the body feel as though you were burning. The key is distracting the prisoner long enough to set it up. That's where Ibiki comes in, making the whole process seem real.

Ibiki was standing beside her, watching as the boy screamed. She let it go on for about ten minuites before withdrawing the genjutsu. It took a lot of chakra control to keep it up for long periods of time. Which was how she mastered it, she had some of the best chakra control in the whole village.

The boy was sweating. His hung limply in the chair, only held up by the restraints tying him to the chair. Then they began questioning him. Another great aspect of the genjutsu is that the pain lingers in the nervous system of the victim for a bit after it's over. Every breath he took sent shooting pain through his body. It was really as though he had been set on fire.

Everytime he didn't answer Sakura would break a finger. Once all of his fingers were broken, Sakura healed them and started over. It took a lot of chakra.

Finally, after about an hour, they had enough information to call it for the night. Sakura was exhausted but feeling much happier now that they had more information on the boy. They only used that technique in very time pressured situations because it is so effective yet exhausting. Sakura knew she would be at her limit when it was all over and that the Hokage would have never of approved of such measures right before her mission. But she had to know more about the boy. She was glad Ibiki went along with it and didn't ask too many questions.

They went back to his office, where he dismissed Sakura, telling her he would write the report and that she should get rest before the mission. She didn't deny she would need it and gratefully accepted his offer.

On her way home, she thought about everything the boy had told them. It wasn't anything extremely substantial but it was enough. They had gotten out of him what information he had been searching for. It hadn't made much sense to Ibiki but it made Sakura's heart skip a beat. He had revealed he was looking for information on a woman who had escaped his village 20 years earlier. She was his clan's prisoner and had escaped. They received a lead that brought them searching our village. And that was it. They couldn't get out of him what the lead was or who gave it to him. The boy was at his limit as well. He was nearly unconscious by the end of the interrogation. They couldn't get much more out of him than that, but Sakura felt sure the woman was her real mother.

Sakura yawned, coming out of her thoughts. She looked up at the building in front of her. It was her apartment complex. She had walked all the way here without even realizing it. Sighing, she took the stairs up to her apartment.

* * *

Once inside, she got to work packing her bag. They were to leave first thing in the morning. She couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. It has been a long time since she was on a mission, probably close to when they last went out to search for Sasuke. They came up absolutely nothing that time. They had spent ten days searching along the border between the land of fire and the land of rivers to come up with nothing. She hoped with everything in her that this mission actually brought them to their lost teammate once and for all.

She went into her bedroom to retrieve her backpack from her closet. After looking for a minute, she pulled it out from under a large pile of clothing. She began filling it with the essentials such as her canteen, important scrolls, medicinal herbs, a map, food pills, and clothes. She paused when she came across a picture of her and Naruto from about the time that they both made jounin. It was a crude snapshot that they clearly weren't ready for. He was mid-bite of his ramen and she was laughing. Sai was in the background drawing. 'I think Ino took this,' Sakura thought to herself. She didn't see much of Sai anymore. Once team Kakashi went their separate ways, he also began taking ANBU missions again. However, when Sakura asked Naruto if he was usually part of his and Kakashi's team, Naruto said no. He said that Sai was hardly ever assigned to the same team as them. Occasionally, she would run into him at the library or the hospital, but that was rare.

Once she was finished packing, she went out to straighten up her apartment a bit. Naruto and Kakashi were going to stop by soon to discuss the mission details with her. Also, she didn't know how long it would be before she would be back and didn't want to come home to a mess. Before long, there was a knock at her door. She went to answer it, propping the broom she'd been sweeping with up against the wall. Kakashi was standing on the other side with a beaming Naruto right behind him.

"Sakura-chan, it's been a while since I was here last, huh?!" Naruto exclaimed as he made himself comfortable on her couch.

Sakura nodded in agreement and motioned for Kakashi to join him. She then went into the kitchen to retrieve cups of coffee for them. She handed Naruto his orange cup. Naruto froze when he saw it. Taking it from her gingerly, he stared sadly into its depths.

"Sakura," Naruto said sadly, "I'm sorry that we haven't been able to bring him back after all this time." He said, not looking up from his drink.

She sighed, "Don't apologize, Naruto. You tried so hard. Besides, this time we're going to do it for sure."

Naruto gave a small smile and turned away to look out of the window. Sakura kneeled in front of her small coffee table and unrolled the scroll containing the contents of their mission.

"Lady Tsunade said that Sasuke was spotted somewhere around here," Sakura said pointing to the map. "We will have to travel through the land of frost to get there. As the name implies, it can get very cold, especially during this time of year. Make sure to pack accordingly."

Naruto and Kakashi nodded. Sakura continued, "It should take us about three days to reach the area where Sasuke was reportedly spotted. That is, if we take minimal breaks and travel quickly. It could possibly take up to five days, so that is what we should prepare for."

Over the next half hour, Sakura highlighted the exact route they were to take. She analyzed and memorized every area of the map to ensure they knew where they needed to go. Once she was satisfied, she told the boys that they could go.

However, Kakashi hung back a minute so that he could talk to Sakura alone.

Sakura waved from the kitchen as Naruto left and turned to face Kakashi. He sat down at the kitchen table and put his head in his hand. Sakura sat down opposite him and waited.

Kakashi watched Sakura intently. He noted how exhausted she looked and guessed she had been overworking herself. She never was one to know when to take a break. He looked her in the eye and sighed. "Sakura, do you plan to kill Sasuke on this mission?" He asked.

She ran a hand through her hair and thought about how she should answer him. She knew this was coming sooner or later. She looked at him and shook her head, deciding to be honest with him as much as possible.

"I don't plan to kill him unless it's absolutely necessary," she said.

Kakashi nodded seriously, "I know that you have lost faith in him. You despise him for what he has done to Naruto and yourself, correct?"

Sakura nodded slowly, taking in his words. "Yes. And I would have no problem giving him what he deserves, but Tsunade asked me to bring him back if there is any possible way. She thinks he may have valuable information on the Akatsuki."

Kakashi took a sip of his still half full cup of coffee through his mask. He figured as much. The Hogake would like to see Sasuke suffer just as much as Sakura would, if not more. She has a soft spot for Sakura and Naruto. Seeing someone hurt them this long has probably left her bitter. 'Not that I don't feel the same,' he thought to himself. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he didn't know what he would do without Naruto and Sakura in his life. They have become precious to him throughout the years. However, he wasn't quite as ready as Sakura to give up on Sasuke just yet. He did, after all, blame himself for Sasuke leaving in the first place. If he had just done more to help him train, he felt as though he could have helped him stay. He felt it was his duty to make it up to Naruto and Sakura by finally bringing him back to the village he betrayed, no matter how hard it was for everyone in the end.

"I don't doubt that if he really is in the area that was reported, it is because he is trying to seek out information on the Akatsuki. The fact that he was reported to be hurt only solidifies that idea," Kakashi said and finished up his coffee.

Sakura nodded in agreement, "I was thinking the same thing. In any case, we should be prepared to run into them."

Kakashi nodded and stood, satisfied knowing that Sakura wasn't going to try and kill Sasuke the first chance she got. He thanked her for the coffee and placed his cup in the sink. That's when he noticed the dried blood in basin.

He turned to look at Sakura, his eyebrows raised. "Were you hurt?" He said, motioning into the sink.

Sakura stood and took a look. She sighed and nodded, "yes, I cut my hand this morning on accident, but don't worry, I'm fine."

There was a long moment of silence as Kakashi stared at her. He was worried about her. He knew she could take care of herself but he also knew of her history of depression. She seemed ok, but he worried that maybe she just got good at hiding it. After all, he had to deal with loss himself before.

Surprising her, Kakashi reached forward and pulled her into a hug. She stumbled forward into his arms, awkwardly. When he pulled away, he noticed that her face had tuned from it's normal porcelain white to a deep, cherry red. He smiled, she may not be used to affection, but sometimes people just need to know others care.

Coughing, Sakura looked away, embarrassed. The only one who ever hugged her was Naruto and even that wasn't often. She didn't take Kakashi for the affectionate type, but damn, it felt nice to be hugged. She really needed it, although she would never admit it out loud.

"Well, I think I'll be going now," Kakashi said as he turned to leave, "see you bright and early, Sakura." And with a wave he opened her door and left.

Sakura sat down and rubbed her temples for what felt like the hundredth time that day. It was definitely one of the most interesting days she had in a very long time.

Finally realizing how tired she was, she decided to go to bed.

* * *

 _Sakura ran, stumbling through the tangled brush of the forest floor. Jumping up into the trees, she chanced looking back._

 _There wasn't anyone in sight, but she could feel their chakra approaching._

 _It was pressing into her senses like knives. It definitely was not a friendly presence._

 _She pushed chakra through her legs but it wasn't coming fast enough, she could feel she was almost out._

 _Panic began to rise up through her chest as the menacing chakra pressed closer. She could feel it starting to close around her throat, making it hard to breath._

 _She tripped, tumbling down close to the forest floor. Catching her balance before she hit she tried to regain her pace._

 _It was too late. The chakra sizzled around her, making it impossible to breath. Like a hand, it squeezed around her throat causing her the gasp and sputter._

 _She began to fall to the ground, struggling to breathe._

* * *

Sakura woke up as her body hit the ground. She had rolled out of bed as she struggled within her dream.

Rubbing the back of her head, she stood up. 'Damn it, is this fucking dream ever going to stop?' She thought to herself as she made her way out into her living room. Looking at the clock she realized she only had an hour until she had to get up anyway. She decided to check her bag and go back through her mission strategy before she had to meet her team.

After about a half hour, her mind wandered back to her dream. That's when it struck her. Her dreams have been getting clearer. At first, they started out blurry, as if she was partially blind, running through the forest. The past few nights it had been crystal clear. That's why it felt so real. Not really understanding what it meant, but happy she finally figured out what was different about them she decided to start her morning pot of coffee. With her lack of sleep lately, she didn't know how she'd be able to function without it. She sighed, thinking about how she'd have to manage while out on this mission.

For the rest of her morning, she leisurely got ready. She took a shower, got dressed in her usual clothing, and blow dried her hair. Before she knew it, it was time to leave for the mission. Shouldering her pack, she went to her door. She turned back to look over her apartment before finally walking out the door into the hallway.

She locked her door and made her way down the stairs. She casually walked through the village, knowing she had to go but not really in any rush either. 'Who knows, next time I see this place Sasuke could be with us.' She couldn't help but think. It was almost surreal, going back out on a mission to find him. She thought for sure he was dead, having not picked up on his trail for so long.

"Sakura!" A voice yelled from behind her. She turned, surprised, as Kiba came walking up to her. She smiled warmly, a rare sight. She had a brief fling with Kiba about two years ago. She had always liked his attitude. It didn't work out as they had begun to lead very different lives. To be honest, Sakura broke it off when she started working at the hospital more. There was hardly any time she could take to see the boy and didn't think it was fair to him. He was upset but she was glad they had stayed on friendly terms. She even got the vibe Kiba still had feelings for her.

"Akamaru thought he smelled your scent. How have you been, Sakura?" Kiba asked with a huge smile.

"I've been well. It's been a while, hasn't it? You're both looking well." Sakura stated, leaning forward to pat Akamaru on the head. He barked and licked her hand.

Kiba laughed, "Yea, it's been a little bit since we've ran into one another. I was actually wondering if you'd like to go out some time?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows, surprised. She knew he still had feelings for her, but asking her out? She hadn't been asked out in a long time. She got the feeling people were intimidated by her. Honestly, the only time she really talked to any man was when she was treating patients or giving orders at the hospital.

She looked at his hopeful expression and sighed, "I'm sorry, Kiba. I'm actually going out on a mission at the moment. I'm due to leave now, actually. I was just on my way to meet Naruto and Kakashi."

Kiba rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh ok, it's no problem. Well.. Good luck on your mission!"

Sakura waved as she hurried away. 'That was awkward,' she thought to herself, trying to get away quickly. It wasn't that she didn't like Kiba, it's just that she didn't like him that way. He was a nice guy but she wasn't looking for a relationship right now. In fact, she couldn't see herself ever settling down. She didn't think her lifestyle would allow for it. Being a shinobi meant you had to put your life on the line at a moment's notice. You couldn't do that with children and a family to look after.

She finally rounded the last corner, bringing her up to the main gate of the village. Neither of her teammates were there yet, thankfully. She didn't want them to see how red her face was after her encounter with Kiba.

After ten minutes or so, she saw Naruto coming from a distance. He reached the gate with a wave and let out a yawn. He leaned against the post to the gate and put his hands in his pockets. "No Kakashi yet?" He asked casually.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Of course not. You know being on time isn't exactly his style."

Just as she said that, Kakashi landed nearly soundlessly in front of her. She lazily looked up at her former sensei. He met her gaze and said, "what were you saying, Sakura?" He asked sweetly.

She grunted, standing from her sitting position. Choosing to not answer his question, she got ready to start their journey. She met eyes with Naruto and he nodded. She smirked, "Alright then, let's go."

* * *

The three of them took off into the trees. They had to be fast if they wanted to make it there within three days. They didn't know how long Sasuke would stay in one place so it was important that they get there as quickly as possible.

Kakashi led the formation as he could use his sharingan if needed. Sakura took the middle and Naurto the rear. She had to admit, it was nice being on a mission with her old teammates again. It was almost refreshing. A change of pace from her normally busy lifestyle in the village.

They ran until late that night, well after the sun went down. They came across a clearing next to a river and decided to make camp for the night. Sakura was grateful, as the lack of sleep from the past few nights was starting to catch up with her.

It was very dark, as the moon was hidden behind think clouds. It felt like a storm may pass, so they prepared for the worst. Sakura got firewood and started a fire. They all sat around it, their faces illuminated as they ate their dinner. Naruto and Kakashi had set up the tent while she was building the fire. It was unusually cold that night, so Sakura was thankful when she finally got to climb into her sleeping bag. Naurto offered to take first watch so she let him. She didn't want to let them know how tired she really was.

She got changed and climbed into her sleeping bag. When she was done, Kakashi came in and got into his own. Before long, she felt herself drifting off to sleep.

Kakashi awoke her sometime later, for what she assumed was to take over watch. However, she was surprised to find that it was morning and that their fire was nearly out. 'I didn't have that dream last night…' she thought to herself, puzzled. She'd been having it so long she'd come to expect it.

Feeling unusually rested, she stretched and went about cleaning up camp. Before setting off, she filled her canteen in the river and washed her face. Naruto and Kakashi followed her lead and did the same and then they were off, flying through the trees once again.

Sakura glanced up at the dark gray sky. They'd been lucky so far, the storm had stayed at bay. However, it didn't look like their luck would hold out much longer. She wasn't worried about running in a little rain, but she had a feeling from the look of the approaching clouds and the quickening of the wind that this would be no ordinary shower.

"Kakashi," she said over the rush of the wind, "we may need to find shelter if this storm turns out to be a bad one."

He nodded, "Right. What should we do?"

She thought back to the map she had memorized. She knew there was a small village slightly off track of their route, about a half a day's journey from here. She knew they were to pass through the land of hot water and the land of frost. However, she didn't want to appear in any of the hidden villages. It was better they stayed discreet in case they were stopped by the Ataksuki or someone associated with Sasuke.

"There's a small village north-west of here. If we start to head that way now, it should only take us until tonight to reach it." Sakura said. "However, if we don't our chances of getting caught in the forest during this storm are likely. Judging by how it looks, this is going to be a bad one."

Naruto groaned impatiently, "That's going to set us back, though. What if Sasuke moves on by then?"

Sakura sighed. She knew that this was a possibility, but what other choice did they have? She couldn't afford for her team to get sick or harmed during this storm. It might set them back a day, but at least they'd be healthy. It was important that this mission was completed efficiently. For that to happen, she needed Naruto and Kakashi at their best.

"Naruto," Sakura said sternly, "the well-being of our team is more important. We won't have a shot at capturing Sasuke if we are weakened at all."

Naruto looked disappointed, but after a minute he nodded his approval.

"Alright then," Sakura said. "Kakashi, I'll take over the lead from this point. I know the way."

Kakashi fell back, allowing her to take the lead. She started off in the direction she knew to be the right way. She didn't want to tell Naruto, but there was another reason she wanted to visit this village. If it were the Akatsuki that Sasuke was after, he may have stopped by this town looking for them. Even if one person had seen him or talked with him, they may be able to get a better idea of where he was heading.

The temperature was steadily dropping as they got nearer to the town. It was the storm that was making it cold. They were still about an hour outside of the town when the rain started. It was light at first but then began to steadily increase as they moved along. Now it was raining so hard they could barely see two feet in front of them.

Sakura cursed. They had to slow down substantially to even make it through the forest. They were close now, thankfully. They were soaked through and exhausted from trying to navigate through the wind and rain. It had also started to thunderstorm a short time ago.

Gritting her teeth, she quickened her pace a bit. She was ready to get her team out of the rainstorm and into a warm bed. Just as she was thinking this, she spotted a light a short ways ahead. Approaching it, she realized it was coming from a house. They had finally made it.

Passing through the small gates to the town, they slowed to a walk. They followed the main road until they came across a medium size building with a sign that read "Inn" above the door. They hurried inside, quickly shutting the door behind them. It was very late, the storm having slowed them down from reaching the town by nightfall.

Sakura looked around the lobby. It wasn't too shabby or fancy. It was well maintained but the furniture and décor were old fashioned. She walked up to the counter, ready to call out for the owner when a door to her left swung open. A tiny old man made his way out and looked at them, startled.

She managed the politest face she could and bowed. "Sir, we would like a room for the night if it isn't too much trouble. We got caught in the storm and require a place to stay."

The man smiled at her warmly, "Of course, of course. Let me see what we have available."

He slowly made his way behind the counter and looked in his book. He frowned and looked up at her.

"I'm sorry, we only have one room available. Many travelers have come tonight seeking shelter in this storm, much like yourselves," he said.

Sakura gave him a small smile, "that will be fine, thank you."

Sakura took out her wallet and paid for the room. The man produced a key and gestured for them to follow him. They followed him up the stairs all the way down the hallway to the last door on the right. He unlocked it and handed them the key. Wishing them a good night, he turned and made his way back down the stairs.

Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto made their way into the room. It was a decent sized room with one large bed in the middle and a couch off to the side in the corner. Sakura immediately went to the couch and sat down, taking off her soaked sandals. She opened her pack and pulled out a dry set of clothes. Naruto and Kakashi did the same.

Naruto and Kakashi started undressing themselves right there. Sakura raised her eyebrows. It wasn't like she had never seen naked men before, she worked in the hospital after all. It was just that these were her teammates. She had healed them enough times herself, but to completely undress just like that, was strange to her. Naruto pulled off his shirt, revealing a strong, muscled chest and toned abs. She blinked once and stared. She couldn't help it. 'When did Naruto get so…. So buff?' She asked herself mentally. She tore her eyes away only to meet the sight of Kakashi, also shirtless with his mask still covering his face. This time she had to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. He was just as muscled as Naruto, only slimmer. The part that had her so surprised was the massive amount of scars he had covering his entire body. The biggest of which stretched diagonal from his right shoulder to the bottom of his ribs on the left side of his body.

She couldn't imagine what had happened to make that big of a wound. Naruto caught her eye again when he moved to take off his pants. His eyes met hers and he grinned.

"Like what you see, Sakura-chan?" He asked.

She snorted, cleared her throat, and stood. She gathered her clothes in her arms and made her way to the bathroom. She looked back at Naruto. "You wish," she said was a smirk.

Naruto sweat dropped and Kakashi laughed as she closed the door behind her.

'Just because they have no modesty, doesn't mean I can't,' she thought to herself. She peeled off her clothes and turned on the shower. She sat on the edge until it was hot enough to get in.

She washed her body methodically. When she was done she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She brushed her hair and then got dressed. She decided to put on black spandex pants and a matching black cut-off shirt. Finally stepping out of the bathroom, she took in the scene in front of her and gave a genuine smile.

Naruto was already asleep and snoring on the couch. Kakashi was lying on the bed reading his favorite orange book. This was what their old missions were always like. In a way she missed that life. In another way, she didn't. She had learned so much and grew in so many ways since then.

Kakashi looked up at her and smiled. He patted the bed next to him and she raised her eyebrows.

"We're sharing the bed?" She asked, glancing over at Naruto. "I assumed I'd be taking the couch, being the only girl."

Kakashi laughed, "You really think I'd share a bed with him? Besides, the bed is more comfortable."

She raised her eyebrows once again and went over to her bag. She rummaged through it until she found her jacket. She pulled it on and went to find her sandals. They were next to Naruto by the couch. Once she slipped them on she turned to Kakashi. "I'm going out. There's a bar a few doors down. I want to see if anyone has seen or talked to Sasuke. He may have come through here."

Kakashi looked at her over his book and gave her a single nod. With that she slipped through the door and made her way back out into the storm.

The pub was smoky and smelled like sour milk. Sakura made her way up to the bar and sat down. She kept her hood up, not wanting to draw attention to her pink hair. There were only a few men inside. Two were sitting at the bar and there were four more spread out among the tables throughout.

She motioned for the bartender. He came over and raised his eyebrows upon seeing her face. She hadn't worn her headband, since most people would be hesitant to talk to a shinobi. A civilian woman, however, was a different story.

The bartender looked her up and down, pausing at the bare skin of her stomach not hidden by her jacket. "What can I get for you, babe?" He asked, leaning in toward her.

She resisted the urge to lean back. He smelled like sweat and liquor. She leaned forward and gave him a sweet smile. "I'll take some sake, please."

He smiled crookedly and went off to make her drink. She looked around at the greasy men in the bar and mentally sighed. 'This is going to be a long night.'

* * *

Making her way out of the bar, she wobbled a little. She had a little too much to drink through asking around about Sasuke. No one had seen him or even heard of him. 'Well, it was worth a shot,' she thought to herself.

She made her way back up the stairs and unlocked the door to the room. She walked in to find Kakashi still wide awake. He, of course, was still reading his beloved novel.

Sakura sighed and climbed up to her spot. It's not that she minded sleeping by Kakashi, she just preferred sleeping alone. Besides, now maybe she could ask Kakashi about that scar. She rolled over onto her side and looked at him. He didn't acknowledge it but she knew he knew she was staring at him. Maybe it was because she was so young at the time or didn't care but she never noticed how truly handsome Kakashi was. Well, what you could see of him anyway.

If she could guess, the face under his mask was stunning. She assumed he only wore it to keep people guessing at what he looked like. Without thinking about it, she reached up and touched the edge of his mask. His reaction was quick and automatic. He grabbed her hand and pulled it away. He raised an eyebrow and turned to her.

She smirked, "Thought I might get your attention that way."

He sighed and went back to looking at his book, "Don't make me regret choosing you over Naruto to share the bed with."

She rolled her eyes, bringing her arm back to rest at her side.

"Any luck?" He asked, turning back to his book.

"No, didn't learn a thing," she said with a small frown.

Kakashi sighed but said nothing. He could tell she had too much to drink in her time there. She smelled mildly of smoke and sake. Plus, it wasn't like her to try and pull what she just did. He thought she'd given up on trying to see his face ages ago.

"Kakashi," she said tentatively, keeping her voice low to not wake Naruto "I have a question."

He didn't look at her, only "hmmed" and flipped the page.

"How did you get that scar across your chest? It looks new." She asked finally.

"Oh, you noticed that?" He asked, finally looking her direction.

She nodded. He sighed and thought to himself, 'I guess it would be easier to just tell her.'

"On a mission a few months ago, we were ambushed. It was just simple thieves. However, we were not expecting an attack. The enemy ninja got to close and sliced me with a sword," he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Did you have someone heal it?" She asked.

"Well…. No." He admitted. "I cleaned and bandaged it the best I could until we got back to the village. By then, it was mostly healed but it scarred badly."

Sakura sighed, knowing Kakashi's dislike of the hospital. If he had gone there immediately, it probably wouldn't have turned into that bad of a scar.

She sat up and turned her body so it was facing him. His eyes widened as she reached out and pulled his shirt all the way up to his chin. He didn't stop her but was glad that his mask hid most of the shock on his face. It's not that he minded, Sakura was one of the closest people to him and had healed him plenty of times. She just never made physical contact unless it was absolutely necessary.

She leaned down and ran her fingers down the length of the jagged, pink scar. Kakashi closed his eyes. Her hands felt good on him, they were so soft for her being a ninja.

"Kakashi, do you mind if I put some of chakra in to examine it? I might be able to reduce some of the scar tissue." She stated.

Keeping his eyes closed he nodded his head, putting his hands behind it, out of her way. Not a moment later, he felt the cool chakra seep into his skin. He felt her slowly work it along the path that his scar followed. In some ways it was soothing, and it other ways it was chilling. The unnatural temperature caused by having someone else's chakra enter him gave him the chills.

Checking to make sure his eyes were still closed, she let her eyes wander down the length of his chest. He really was an attractive man. She was surprised he stayed single for as long as he did. Surely there were women who had tried to claim him. She had never thought about it much, but Kakashi was a puzzle. She knew he had lost his teammates in the past but that was about it.

Suddenly, she felt very sad. She wished she had spent more time getting to know him better. He was, after all, one of the closest people to her. He just didn't seem like the type of person to open up about himself.

Kakashi opened his eyes to watch her. Her long pink hair was covering her face as she worked. It tumbled down, all the way to the small of her back. He couldn't help but let his eyes travel over her body. He couldn't believe how much she had matured. She definitely wasn't his little student anymore. She was wearing skin tight spandex that clung to her body perfectly. Her mid-drift was bare, due to her wearing a small, cut-off shirt. She was thin, yet perfectly muscled. His eyes traveled up to her chest and he swallowed. What was he thinking, she used to be his student. Not to mention, he's so much older than her. It was wrong. He averted his eyes to the ceiling. 'I'm going to hell,' he thought to himself as he felt her chakra withdraw.

She finished up, reducing the amount of scar tissue and sat back to admire her work. The scar was still visible as a jagged, white line but was no longer raised or pink. Reluctant to take her hands away from the warmth of his chest, she looked up at his face. His eye met hers, eyebrow slightly raised.

She felt her cheeks get warm but didn't move. She just continued to gaze at him and sighed. She reached up, slowly with her one hand. Kakashi tensed beneath her, surely thinking about her stunt from earlier. She moved slowly so he could see she wasn't going to try anything like that. Her hand moved up past his mask and landed on his headband. She slowly pushed it up, revealing the eye with his sharingan. Now he was really perplexed. He watched her carefully but didn't dare stop her. He was curious as to what she was thinking.

She stared down at his mismatched eyes. His eyes had witnessed many hardships, she knew. She leaned forward slightly, reaching up run her hair through his spikey, silver hair.

He knew she must be drunk. She'd never do any of this if she weren't. He couldn't stop her though. He didn't want to. There was something about her touch that was holding him there. Rarely did anyone ever touch him so gently.

She took her other hand off of his chest and turned to face him, reaching up to put both hands into his hair. He closed his eyes peacefully. She gently combed her fingers through his hair repeatedly. She watched his face relax and his breathing start to become even. Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned down, sliding her hands around his neck and gently placed her lips on his through the mask.

Kakashi's eyes flew open. His body tensed but he didn't dare move. 'Shit…,' he thought to himself as he felt her soft lips pressed against his. Her thumbs gently rubbed his neck and he closed his eyes. 'How the hell did I let this happen?' He thought.

Sakura leaned in more, deepening the kiss. Kakashi's hands twitched but he didn't respond. He wanted so badly to wrap his fingers in her hair and kiss her back, but he knew he couldn't. Soon she pulled back and smiled at him.

She unwrapped her hands from behind his neck and laid down on her pillow. In a few minutes, she was breathing evenly, deeply asleep. Kakashi didn't sleep at all that night.

* * *

Let me know what you think!

A little KakaxSaku!

Please review (:


	3. Seeing Red

I don't own Naruto!

Sakura awoke the next day with a pounding headache. She sat up and rubbed her temples. The room was filled with light from the morning sun. Squinting, she looked around for her teammates. Neither were anywhere to be seen. Laying back down, she rolled over toward Kakashi's side of the bed. That's when it all came rushing back to her.

She jumped out of bed way too fast, causing the world to spin. She clutched her head and grabbed the bedside table to steady herself. 'Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!' She thought repeatedly as she made her way slowly to the bathroom. 'He's your fucking sensei Sakura, what were you thinking?!' Her inner self screamed as she locked the door behind her. Leaning against the back of it, she slide down to the floor. She ran a hand through her hair and went through the events of the previous night in her head. The more she thought about it, the more mortified she became. 'Kakashi probably thinks I'm a drunken idiot.' She thought with a groan.

After about twenty minutes, she decided that she should get moving. Standing up, she made her way to the shower and slowly turned it on. She got in and stood there for a while in self misery. Wishing more than anything that the hot water could wash away the memories, she eventually began to wash. After a while she finished up and got out. She turned the water off and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself. She sat on the closed lid of the toilet and placed her fingers up to her head. Pushing chakra in, she finally relieved the stress of her headache.

She tried not to think about the upcoming, inevitable encounter with Kakashi. It didn't feel real. It almost felt like it happened in a dream. She wished more than anything that it had. Mechanically, she pulled her clothes on. She couldn't believe she'd been so careless. It wasn't like her to let herself get physically close to people. She learned a long time ago it was much less complicated to keep your hands to yourself.

Opening the bathroom door slowly, she listened for the sounds of either of her teammates. When she decided neither were there, she crept out to the bed. Sitting on the edge, she bent down and pulled on her sandals from where she had discarded them the night before.

Laying back, she stared at the ceiling. She didn't know what she was going to do when she saw Kakashi. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to figure out a way to fix what she had started. Not bringing it up seemed like the best option. Deciding that she'd wait to see if he brought it up, she sat up and stretched. She was pretty sure he knew she was drunk, and figured that he probably assumed that was the reason she acted the way she did. It was the fact that she knew she didn't do it because she was drunk that really bothered her. She was 99% sure that if it happened when she was sober, nothing would have changed.

That made her really worried. She knew she had feelings for Kakashi, she just didn't realize they ran that deep. Always looking up to him as her former sensei, someone she could trust, she never imagined she'd develop any more feelings for the copy nin. But last night, looking into his eyes, made her feel something for him she didn't know was in her. She'd accepted long ago she'd never find someone to love. Love required commitment. It required time, affection and sacrifice. She knew that was never something that she'd want or be able to achieve. Nevermind with Kakashi. But then why did she feel this tightness in her chest?

Sakura sighed and got up to retrieve her bag. It didn't matter how she felt anyway, she knew for sure Kakashi would never want to be with her. She was his student after all, not to mention a lot younger than him. He probably thought of her as more of a daughter. Miserably, she made her way out the door to find her teammates.

…..

Kakashi walked through the streets with Naruto, trying to find a decent place to get some breakfast. His blonde haired student had been complaining how hungry he was since he awoke that morning. Not wanting him to wake Sakura, he offered to get breakfast with him.

They came upon a shop that looked as though they sold a variety of traditional foods. As they made their way up to the counter a young woman, about Kakashi's age, made her way out from the back room. She saw them standing there and greeted them with a large smile.

"Hello. You must be travelers, I never saw your faces around here before." She said as she approached the counter. "Can I help you?"

Naruto was the first to speak. "Do you have any food here, lady? We're hungry and need some breakfast."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. Naruto could be so rude sometimes. The woman nodded and went to retrieve them menus. He couldn't help but noticed the woman was very attractive. She was short and thin, with long brown hair and a small heart shaped face. Normally he would've tried to flirt, but he was distracted today. He hadn't slept at all the night before. He replayed the events that took place so many times, they didn't feel real. But he knew they were and couldn't stop dwelling on it. He felt responsible, knowing that she was drunk and doing nothing to stop her.

Yes, it had been unexpected, but even when she kissed him he didn't resist. He had always thought Sakura was attractive. However, she'd always been just a girl to him, too young to really notice. Recently, however, she had blossomed into a talented and beautiful woman. It hadn't gone unnoticed by him – or anybody else for that matter. It wasn't uncommon that her name was brought up by men around the village. There were many who were interested, including Genma, Kakashi knew. He didn't like it at all.

Whenever her name would come up in a less than respectable way, Kakashi would have no part of it. She was his student after all, part of him felt as though he should protect her. He knew she didn't need it, but he still felt it was disrespectful to be a part of such conversations. He wasn't too worried though, no one was stupid enough to try anything with the apprentice of the Hokage. He doubted she even knew about the amount of attention she attracted.

The woman came back, breaking him out of his thoughts. She handed them the menu, bowing as she went to prepare some tea. Kakashi looked it over absentmindedly. How was he going to going to face her? He knew she would remember, she wasn't that drunk. He also knew that she'd be angry with herself. She never allowed herself to get close like that to anyone. He hoped, more than anything, that it wouldn't hurt their relationship. He wanted it to stay the same, he couldn't bear the thought of losing her trust.

'Is friendship really all you want?' A voice in the back of his head said. Ignoring it, he really looked at the menu because the woman had come back with their tea. He placed an order for two orders of dango, one for himself and one to bring back to Sakura. Naruto, of course, asked if they had ramen. To his disappointment, the lady shook her head. Sighing, he also ordered the dango. Kakashi absentmindedly swirled the tea in his cup around, staring into its depths. Of course all he wanted was her friendship, right? He knew he couldn't expect anything more. Shinobi didn't exactly settle down. These was a reason he hadn't had any serious relationships. He usually preferred the type of company that druken nights out with Genma provided him. He'd take a girl home and then never see her again. Up until last night, he was totally fine with it staying that way.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Naruto looked his way. He may not be the best at reading people but he knew when something was bothering Kakashi. They had spent a lot of time together lately, after all. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. Kakashi looked at him, making eye contact.

Naruto frowned, "What's up Kakashi? You're distracted today. That definitely isn't like you at all."

Kakashi stared at him. If Naruto noticed something was bothering him then Sakura definitely would know he was troubled. As much as wanted to, he couldn't tell Naruto. The kid loved her like a sister. He couldn't imagine what Naruto would think if he told him what happened the night before. The word pervert would definitely be used, that he was sure of.

Then again….

Kakashi recalled a previous conversation he and Naruto had on a recent mission.

…

 _They were deep within enemy territory. Their team had split up to search for any sign of the enemy. Naruto and Kakashi had been paired together._

 _They quickly ran through the trees, pausing only to listen to the sounds of the forest. One time Kakashi stopped, thinking he heard something. They dropped to the ground and carefully concealed themselves within the brush. They listened carefully, ready to jump out at a moment's notice. After a couple minutes, with no indication that anyone was there, they got up from their hiding spot._

 _They'd been at it for longer than expected and neither had taken a break in a few days. Exhaustion was starting to take over. Kakashi momentarily removed his ANBU mask and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Naruto followed his lead and sat on the ground. This was as far as they were to patrol before waiting for the rest of the team to meet up with them. Their captain ordered whoever reached the meeting place first to begin to make camp._

 _Replacing his mask, he gestured for Naruto to follow him. Naruto stood and they made their way into the forest to collect firewood. As they were collecting branches and logs, Naruto brought up how much he missed Sakura. They hadn't seen much of her lately due to the need for them to go on back to back missions. The village was short on ninja to do higher ranked missions so they'd been pretty busy. Kakashi had to admit, he missed her company too. She always kept things light when the stress of the mission was starting to get to them._

" _Sometimes I worry about Sakura," Naruto said with a frown as he picked up a particularly large log. "I mean, I know she can take care of herself. It's just…I don't know. I worry that she's lonely."_

 _This surprised Kakashi. He had never thought of Sakura as being a lonely person. She had Tsunade and had to deal with patients daily. Surely constantly interacting with that many people kept her from feeling lonesome? Now that he thought about it, though, he supposed she didn't have many close friends. Besides Naruto and himself there really weren't many; if any at all._

 _Naruto continued, "She struggled with depression after Ino died. She seemed to get better after a while but I worry now that we're away on missions all the time. Sometimes when I run into her briefly I see that same emptiness behind her eyes…"_

 _They had made their way back to camp and were working to start the fire. Kakashi thought back on the last time he had seen Sakura. She had fleetingly bumped into him as she was leaving the Hokage's office last time they got back from a mission. He did have to admit, she looked different. Her eyes were void of the emotion he was used to seeing there. He assumed it was because she was tired from working all the time._

 _Naruto arranged the twigs into the precise position. He shook his head. "I worry about you too, Kakashi. You both would do well to find someone to have a future with," his said seriously. Kakashi was so startled that he dropped the log he was holding, causing the branches Naruto had arranged to fall. Naruto laughed, reaching forward to fix them. "Seriously though," he said, "I know it's hard as a ninja to settle down, but you've both become good at pushing everyone away. It might keep you from getting hurt, but it also keeps you from really living. It makes me sad to think you two would never know love."_

 _Kakashi stared at him through his mask. He had known love before. But that woman was long dead and he had no desire to feel that heartbreak again._

" _Well what about you, Naruto? I don't see you having any luck with the ladies," Kakashi joked._

 _This time it was Naruto's turn to be surprised. He had been mid-shuffling through his bag and dropped it. It contents spilled out, some rolling all the way to where Kakashi was crouching. He looked down at the object that had landed closest. He picked it up as Naruto began retrieving his dropped items. The object was a round, framed picture of Naruto, Sakura and Sai at Ichiraku. It had been taken mid-conversation but that was why it was perfect. It captured each of them so well that he couldn't help but smile behind his mask._

 _Naruto pointed accusingly in Kakashi's direction. "Look what you made me do! All of my stuff is scattered everywhere in the dirt! Thanks a lot!" He yelled. "And for your information, I actually have been seeing someone lately!"_

 _Kakashi laughed at the comedy of the situation. Leave it to Naruto to be the only ANBU that yells carelessly while in enemy territory. He was just thankful their captain wasn't there to see him._

…

Coming out of his memory, Kakashi took a sip of his tea. He wasn't so sure Naruto would be opposed to him and Sakura becoming more than friends based on that conversation. From what he said on the mission, he wanted them to find someone to love. He was pretty sure that Naruto didn't mean each other when he said that though. Not that it mattered anyway, he knew that even if he wanted more from Sakura, it would be unrealistic.

Before he could answer Naruto, the door to the shop swung open. Sakura walked up and took a seat next to Naruto. He smiled at her warmly and she gave a small smile back.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan! We went out in search of food and didn't want to wake you. Kakashi ordered some to bring back to you though. Now we can just eat it here!" Naruto said with a big grin.

Sakura nodded as the woman came out to deliver their food. It smelled delicious. Sakura reached forward to grab a stick of dango at the same time Kakashi did. Their hands touched and they both looked up startled. Both of them pulled their hand away with a quickness that anyone watching would've thought they burned themselves.

Naruto watched the exchange, confused, and scratched the back of his head. "What's with you guys today? You're acting strange. Well, anyway, if you aren't going to take any, I am." He said and reached forward to collect his food.

Sakura stared down at the table, hiding her face behind her hair. She knew her face was burning red. 'PULL IT TOGETHER!' Her inner self screamed and she took a deep breath. Chancing looking up, she saw that Kakashi was staring at her. She tried to manage a smile but thought it probably looked more like a grimace. She slowly reached out again to grab her food and placed it in front of her. She glanced sideways at Naruto who was happily chowing down. She was glad he was here to break the awkward tension.

Kakashi collected his food and began to eat as well. Sakura picked hers up and took a bite. The minute she swallowed, her stomach churned. She set down the stick and reached for her tea. As good as it looked, she doubted she could eat any more if she tried. The woman who ran the shop came over to ask if they were doing well. She looked down at Sakura's barely touched food and frowned.

"Is everything alright, miss?" She said, gesturing to Sakura's food.

Sakura nodded and gave a weak smile. The woman didn't look convinced but said no more. She could feel Kakashi's eyes boring into her. She was resisting looking his way but it was getting harder with every passing minute. Finally, she glanced over at him. He rose an eyebrow and looked down at her plate. "Aren't you going to eat? We have a big mission ahead of us." He said.

She shook her head, "I'll be alright. I'm actually not feeling well this morning."

Naruto stopped eating and looked at her with concern. "What's the matter, Sakura-chan? Are you sick?" He asked with a genuine look of worry on his face.

"No, I'm alright Naruto. I went to the pub down the road last night to find out if anyone had seen Sasuke. They hadn't but in the process I had a little too much to drink." She lied. She knew that herself not feeling well had more to do with the silver haired man sitting across from her than it did the drinking.

Naruto looked at her seriously, almost with a pout. "Why didn't you take me with you? You shouldn't be going to strange pubs in the middle of the night! What if there were enemies there?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "When are you going to stop treating me like I can't handle myself? I am team captain, proving that the Hokage believes I am on equal, if not stronger, levels than you two. Besides, this is a civilian town Naruto, if there were any shinobi I would've sensed their chakra."

Naruto laughed nervously and held up his hands, "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just saying, I can have your back sometimes. You don't have to rush into everything alone, Sakura-chan."

Kakashi sighed and they both looked at him. He cleared his throat, "Stop bickering, we need to finish up here so we can move on. We're already behind and off course from the storm." He raised a hand to flag down the lady for their check. She brought it over swiftly, batting her eyelashes a few too many times than Sakura thought was necessary.

…

They left the town a few hours ago. Sakura was leading the formation again. They swiftly ran through the trees, making their way steadily to the destination. The tension in the air around her and Kakashi almost completely dissipated once they got back into mission mode and she couldn't be more thankful. She was fine just leaving it at that. However, whenever their eyes met, she'd get a tight knot in the pit of her stomach.

Night was approaching quickly. Sakura decided that because of their late start they'd move on through the night to regain some ground. Naruto was less than enthusiastic about losing the sleep but didn't complain because he knew it brought them one step closer to finding Sasuke.

The cloud cover was nearly gone tonight, making it bright due to the shining moon. They had no problem navigating in this lighting. Sakura thought back on the previous night for the thousandth time that day. This time, however, was for a different reason. She hadn't dreamt that dream about the forest in two nights now. She wondered what had changed. Up until this point she had it every single night for a long time, in varying degrees of clarity. That's when it hit her. She stopped short on a branch causing Naruto and Kakashi to fly past her and stop a little ways ahead.

Sakura was staring up at the moon. She didn't know how or why but she felt almost certain her dream schedule was affected by the moon. Staring at it, she realized it must have been because of the thick cloud cover the past two nights that she hadn't dreamed. Then she gasped. The night that she made the trip to her roof the moon was full. Her dream had been crystal clear that night.

Naruto and Kakashi came to her side and looked up to see what she saw. When they saw nothing, Naruto reached up and touched her shoulder, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"What is it? Did you see something?" Naruto asked, concerned.

Sakura shook her head apologetically, "No, I'm sorry. I'm fine. Let's go," she said, taking off into the direction they had been going. Kakashi and Naruto glanced at each other, confused, before taking off after her again.

'The moon…,' she thought to herself as they ran, 'I wonder what it could mean.' One thing was for sure, this was turning out to be an interesting mission already.

….

Breathing heavily, Sakura leaned against a tree as the sun rose around them. Kakashi and Naruto were doing the same close by. They had been running non-stop for hours before Sakura stopped at this stream. They were nearly out of water so they decided to stop and fill up their canteens. They had crossed over the border between the land of hot water and the land of frost some time ago. The temperature was already getting increasingly cold the farther they went.

Shivering, Sakura knelt to the ground and pulled her pack off of her shoulders. She had packed a light jacket, not wanting the bulk of her warmer one in her pack. Besides, it wasn't much heavier anyway. In the land of fire, there wasn't much need for one. Even in the cooler months, it still stayed reasonably warm. She didn't worry too much though. As long as they kept moving she'd be warm enough.

Gesturing to Naruto and Kakashi, she stood. They put the lids on their canteens and came over. She put her face up to the slowly lightening sky. It truly was beautiful here. Without the constant heat, different foliage grew. Instead of the slick, dark green leaves she was used to, there were spiny needles and pinecones scattered everywhere along the forest floor. Not that she minded, the air was filled with the sweet smell of pine and sap.

Her teammates approached and she sighed. As much as she wanted to make camp here, they really needed to get moving. By dinnertime, they should have made up enough ground to take a break. Besides, by then they should be very close to the land of lightning border. From there, the report stated that their lost teammate was spotted within a few miles. There was another small village around that area and they figured that if he really were injured that's where he'd have gone.

If anything, they might have a chance of getting some real information there. She'd let her team rest that night so that in the morning they'd be ready for whatever lie ahead. She looked into their eyes and nodded. With that they leapt uo into the trees and disappeared as silently as they came.

They were running for not even ten minutes when she felt it. A nearly invisible trace of chakra. She stopped dead. Naruto and Kakashi stopped as well and looked to their leader. She held a finger up to her lips and listened hard. Nothing. Slowly she dispersed her chakra out, searching for whatever had caused her senses to perk. Still nothing.

She knew she wasn't losing her mind, it definitely had been there. But what was _it_ exactly? Naruto stepped forward, keeping his voice low. "What is it, did you sense something Sakura-chan?" He asked.

She shook her head once, "I thought I felt…. Well, nevermind. It's nothing. Let's go." She said, pushing off from her tree branch once more. Naruto and Kakashi exchanged a glance before following her.

….

Sakura could sense the exhaustion from her team. They'd been running all day with minimal breaks. She felt bad but they couldn't afford to fail this mission. It was important to her because she wanted to prove herself capable of leading a successful mission. And then of course there was Sasuke. As much as she hated him, they needed him. For Naruto's sake on multiple levels.

As tired as they were, no one complained. They were used to the stress on their bodies by now. Naruto and Kakashi had taken missions with little to no sleep frequently. Sakura hardly ever got sleep with her work schedule. Their bodies were trained for this.

However, they were near the point of chakra depletion. She spotted a small clearing and gestured for them to land. They jumped, landing on the needle covered ground soundlessly. Sakura was extremely grateful that it was finally time to rest. All day, she had an uneasy feeling. Ever since she had felt that chakra that morning, she didn't let her guard down.

Even as they stood here, catching their breath, she glanced around at the darkening forest. It almost felt as if someone were watching them. Trying to shrug off the feeling, she set off with Naruto toward the trees to collect firewood. Kakashi was left to catch dinner and prepare it. They ventured a good ways from cap, collecting twigs and some logs. They were mostly silent, peacefully enjoying each other's company. Naruto stopped a particularly large log and handed off some of his small branches to her so he could pick it up. She laughed as he balanced it among the others in his arms. Naruto always was on to overdo it. Turning, they made their way slowly back to the camp. Kakashi was not there, presumably having went off to find dinner. Sakura went about setting up the logs for the fire as Naruto went to the forest edge to use the bathroom.

When he was done, he returned and handed Sakura log she'd been reaching for. Stating he was going to go off and see if Kakashi needed help she nodded. She was hungry after all. She set to work finishing up the branches and began to start the fire. Then she felt it again. That same chakra. Standing swiftly, she looked over her shoulder, toward the direction it came from. Then her stomach filled with dread.

The chakra didn't disappear this time. It hovered in the distance, as if the person had revealed themselves on purpose. Then it flared again and she could feel the strength in it. Her own chakra was almost gone, she couldn't fight on her own. She knew Naruto and Kakashi weren't in much better shape, however. Then she heard metal clash in the direction Naruto had gone. She made up her mind in that fraction of a second. She took off in the direction of her teammates as fast as she could.

The strong chakra she felt followed her but she didn't dare stop. She had to get to her teammates. The strong chakra was gaining on her. That's when straight fear took over. Her eyes widened, 'No…' she thought as she crashed through the trees.

This was the scene straight out of her nightmares. The scenery, the chakra, herself at near exhaustion. It was the exact same. The worst part was, she already knew how it ended. Pushing all the chakra she had left into her legs, she desperately tried to find her teammates. "How far could they have gone?' She thought to herself, in a complete panic. Then it dawned on her. There was a reason Kakashi wasn't back when they got there. Something had kept him. Naruto must have picked up on it when he went after him. They'd both been gone for a little while by the time she left the camp.

She knew she'd never make it to them. She'd seen it. But that just made her try harder, determined not to be caught by the chakra that was following her. She couldn't give up. Never.

Stumbling, she fell to the ground and pushed herself back up, running once more. The chakra was menacing now, surrounding her as it got closer. Her chest heaved with every step, making it hard to think clearly. She knew this was it, she could feel the end of her chakra burning through her body.

Then her foot caught on a branch and she tumbled to the ground. Only this time, she couldn't find the strength to get up. In the distance, she could hear sounds of a fight. Metal on metal. 'I almost made it,' she thought as the other chakra took over. She couldn't breathe. Her body was at its limit. It was all so familiar. She knew how this ended. She lifted her head just enough to see red eyes staring at her from a nearby tree. "Sasuke…?" She said. Then she felt her eyes closing and everything was black.

…..

Sakura awoke sometime later. It was pitch black. Absolute darkness. 'Am I dead?' She thought to herself as she tried to look around. No, she decided. The pain was too harsh for it to be death. She had been bound by her arms to a wall, in a sitting position. From the way her body felt weak, she knew that her chakra was being drained or held at bay. Every movement sent pain through her. She knew it was from pushing her body past its usual limits. Other than chakra depletion she didn't feel any physical injuries. That was odd, considering it appeared she'd just been taken prisoner.

A smirk came to her face slowly. She laughed. Anyone looking in would have thought she was insane. But there was no one there. She knew why she was uninjured. More than anyone, she knew how interrogations went. The prisoners wouldn't be harmed more than necessary to detain them because the interrogation unit wanted them to feel fresh pain. It was often the quickest way to answers. How ironic she'd end up in this situation.

She didn't care if she lived or died. There was no way she'd give them any information. All she was worried about were her two teammates. She prayed that they got away safely. Thinking back, she tried to remember anything past blacking out in the forest. She sighed, only able to remember the eyes that had stared at her. Red. The only person she knew had those eyes was the exact person they'd been searching for. But why would Sasuke fight or capture any of them?

Then it hit her so hard she had to gasp for air. She gripped her hands into fists so hard she felt her fingernails dig deep into the tender skin of her palms. 'No, please, no.' She thought desperately. Tears started running down her face and she bit her lip. She didn't want to believe it but knew it was true. It all made sense now. The strong chakra. The red eyes. No, it wasn't Sasuke at all. She really prayed for Naruto's safety as the door to her cell opened. In stepped in the person that had taken her.

"Itachi."

….

Naruto and Kakashi ran. Their opponent had vanished as Naruto began to utilize the nine-tail's chakra. Their opponent wasn't just any normal opponent. It was Kisame of the Akatsuki. Naruto clenched his teeth together, pushing an enormous amount of chakra into his legs.

Naruto had heard the battle from afar and ran in to help. Kakashi was bleeding, having taken a surprise hit to the left arm. As much as they had traveled that day, Naruto knew that Kakashi was running on depleted chakra. Even so, the two of them managed to keep the behemoth shark man at bay. There hadn't been a chance to warn Sakura. Now they found themselves running urgently in the direction they were supposed to make camp.

Kakashi felt sick. He had a bad feeling about this. Akatsuki don't give up mid-battle. What had him even more worried was that Kisame's infamous teammate was nowhere in sight and their pink haired captain was alone at their camp.

They crashed through the tree line at record speed. They stopped within the clearing and took in their surroundings. The wind blew silently as they stared upon the abandoned pile of logs. Naruto cursed and ran into the woods on the opposite side of the clearing, calling out Sakura's name. Kakashi stood frozen, not wanting to believe what he knew to be true. She was gone. Her pack lay next to the pile of logs, forgotten. He went to it and picked it up slowly. He looked at the sky. "I'm sorry, Sakura. We will find you." He promised.

….

Itachi stood above Sakura, holding a plate of what she presumed to be food. Leaning down, his ebony eyes looked straight into her bright green ones. He placed the plate on the floor in front of her. She snorted. There was no way she was eating. She didn't give a single damn if she died here. There was no way in hell she would be playing "good prisoner" for the enemies. She mustered up all the strength she had and spit at Itachi feet, right on the plate of food he brought.

She looked straight into his eyes, not caring what he did to her. If they had Naruto it would kill her anyways. Itachi's piercing stare looked back at her without any hint of emotion. He knelt down to her level and grabbed her chin in his hand, squeezing her face hard. She glared daggers right back.

"It would be smart of you to not piss Kisame off," he said evenly, turning her head side to side, "or this pretty face won't be very pretty anymore."

He stood to leave. At the door he turned back and said, "Kisame will be in to feed you soon."

With that he shut the door again and she was emerged in complete darkness.

She cursed, pulling on the chains but knowing she couldn't break free. She tried standing to no avail. She sat down, leaning her head back against the rough stone wall behind her. Of all the people that could've captured and tortured her, it had to be Itachi. Her hate for Sasuke paled in comparison for the way she felt for his bastard of a brother. 'It runs in the blood, I supposed.' She thought, miserably.

After some time, the door opened again. A large man came in carrying a torch. Sakura squinted in the suddenly bright light. The man was lit up by the yellow light of the fire, casting a massive shadow onto the cell wall. In the small room, he looked enormous.

Kisame smiled at her with a pointed smile. She managed the most hate-filled expression she could muster. His smile faded into a frown. "My, my, what a pretty little girl for such a mean look. You aren't going to be a problem are you?" He asked setting the torch into a holder on the wall.

Sakura stared at him, not daring to break eye contact. He stared back, a menacing smile forming on his pale blue face. He laughed a loud, booming laugh.

"Well, this should be fun at least," He said, cracking his knuckles. He cocked his arm back with his hand in a fist. It hit her hard in the left eye and her head cracked against the wall behind her. The world went blurry for a minute. Her head swam and she felt her eye instantly swell shut. Even through that she never made a noise. As the room spun around her, she opened her good eye to look at him. He had knelt down right in front of her. He picked up the bread on her plate and shoved it roughly into her mouth.

She sputtered and choked. He was holding her jaw shut with his massive hand around her neck. Tears came as the bread continued to choke her. He looked straight into her only good eye and smiled at her sweetly.

"Now, I'm going to let go. You're going to chew that bread and swallow it. If you spit it out, I'll break your pinky finger next. I'll break them all, one-by-one, until you cooperate." He said.

She glared at him as tears ran down the side of her face. He let go and she immediately spit out the food, gasping for air. She wouldn't have been able to chew that even if she wanted to, she needed air too badly. She already knew that was the point though. Kisame reached forward and grabbed her right hand. She weakly tried to jerk it away but he held it firmly in place.

Crack.

She clenched her teeth and screamed in the back of her throat. The pain was expected but there was no way to mentally prepare for it. He shook his head at her. "I told you. Let's try this again." He said and picked up more bread. This time he didn't grab her throat, he set it in her mouth and let her decide.

She held it there for a minute, before deciding to swallow it. As much as she didn't want to cooperate, she needed to stay alive a little longer to find out what happened to her teammates. If they had gotten away, she could die knowing they had a shot. If they were captured, however, there was nothing she could do. Chances are none of them would make it out of this alive. But she knew she had to know at least. She needed to find out why they brought her here and what they wanted.

They wanted her to stay alive to get information out of her. They probably knew she was Hokage's apprentice. It wasn't often Ior ever) that you came across a pink-haired shinobi with a leaf headband. Right now, they'd just feed her but she knew the questions were coming. She wouldn't answer them, of course, but she'd like to find out their reasoning for bringing her here.

This process continued until all of her bread and water were gone. Once finished, Kisame got up and left. Before he went though, he promised to be back soon. Sakura had glared at him until the door was clicked back into place. Then she let her body shrink and the pain take its toll.

….

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think by reviewing!


	4. The Memory

I don't own Naruto!

...

The door creaked open slowly. Itachi stepped through the threshold, letting the dull orange light from his torch fall upon the scene in front of him. His pink haired prisoner sat slumped against the wall, her head hanging forward. He observed her slow, even breathing but knew she was awake. Walking up to her, he hung the torch on the wall to his right. Silently, he kneeled down in front of his brother's ex-teammate. For someone so small, she was tough. He had heard many stories about the Hokage's rosy haired apprentice and her incredible skills. It was a shame he didn't have a chance to fight her. She lifted her head slowly, meeting his eyes with nothing but pure hatred. If he were anyone else, he may have felt pity for the tiny girl in front of him.

Reaching forward, he gently pushed her strange colored locks away from her face. Showing no outward surprise at her swollen, purple eye, he let her hair fall back into place as he drew his hand away. She didn't flinch at his touch like they normally did. Instead, her face became darker, and her eye more angry. But she said nothing, just watched him and waited. Kisame had really over done it he noted, glancing up at her grotesquely colored pinky finger. He was always too rough with the new prisoners, claiming it made them less likely to resist in the future.

Itachi didn't think it was necessary. They didn't have any chakra anyway. Unless they were trying to get information, there was no reason to cause unnecessary injuries. After all, they didn't want any infections to lead to the prisoners' deaths. Not until they served their purpose anyway. He activated his sharingan and for the first time the girl's face waivered. It was quick but with these eyes he saw everything.

He captured her for the purpose of the organization, to make a trade with the leaf for the nine-tails. He knew the leaf would never do it but the jinchuriki would come either way. The blonde boy wouldn't be able to resist helping his little teammate. They couldn't take the boy themselves. They tried numerous times. Even in a weakened state, the nine-tails power had given him the ability to grow strong beyond their reach. It was an easy solution to a hard problem. Only problem left was Itachi got the feeling that this girl wouldn't make it easy on them. He also had his own personal reasons for capturing her.

"Your name is Sakura Haruno of the leaf, apprentice to the Hokage and a skilled medic." Itachi said, watching her. Sakura merely stared back, unmoving. He continued, "You were sent on a mission to rescue your ex-teammate, Sasuke Uchiha." This time he watched her stiffen but she still didn't say anything. Itachi stood, looking down at her. She tilted her face up slightly, keeping eye contact. He pulled a key from within his thick Akatsuki cloak, reaching up to undo the locks of her restraints. Her hands slipped lightly to the cold, stone floor.

She sat up quickly, rubbing the raw skin of her wrists. As she was distracted, Itachi made a quick flurry of hand signs. Bending down fast, he thrust his hand into her stomach. For a moment, she gasped and then he pulled back to let her catch her breath. She clutched her stomach as the seal formed. "What…?" She asked, looking up at him from behind a curtain of pink. "It's a chakra seal. It will allow you to gain enough chakra back to heal very minor injuries and move comfortably. That is all. I will be the one to feed and tend to you from now on." Itachi said and with no further explanation he turned and left, taking the light with him.

….

Sakura watched him go, clutching her tender stomach. Lifting up her shirt, she squinted to observe the seal that was now present there. It burned like it had been branded onto her skin with a hot iron. Then she felt it. Her chakra was returning very slowly. Already her muscles felt stronger even though it was only a small amount. This comforted her a little. She didn't get it, but she was too tired to think about it now. She had to be rested before Itachi came back again. Curling up on the cold floor, she immediately fell asleep.

….

Sakura had gotten used to the dark at this point. It didn't make sense to her, why they'd let her regain her chakra. Even if it was a tiny bit, they should know that she was a skilled ninja. She didn't need much to make a chakra scalpel strong enough to cause severe damage. Then again, that was probably why Itachi was the one tending to her now. With his sharingan, he could see and predict any attack she implemented.

She paced around the room for what felt like the thousandth time. She had sat down for a while but her body grew stiff. It was easier to think with her muscles in action. Knowing she had to try to escape, she went through her options once more. Trying an attack on Itachi would surely mean they'd restrain her again. Or worse. She knew there was no way she could physically break out. She didn't have enough chakra to use her strength. And even if that did work, she wouldn't have enough to get away.

Knowing Itachi would be back soon, she sat against the wall across from the door. She needed to get information out of him this time. If her teammates were captured here, as well, then she had to get to them. They'd have a better chance of getting out if they were together. If they weren't here, she'd really have no choice but to wait. She figured the Akatsuki would make their reason for capturing her alive clear soon.

The heavy cell door flew open and Itachi walked in carrying a lantern and her tray of food. His sharingan was already glowing brightly. He looked down at her sitting on the floor. He hadn't been expecting an attack, he knew she was smarter than that. "Stand up," He commanded, eyes watching her every move. She stood without even the slightest tremor, looking straight into his eyes. 'This girl must have a death wish,' he thought amusedly to himself. Lucky for her, he still needed her alive. For now.

She looked at him with determination. "Tell me why you have brought me here, Uchiha," she spat out as he was hanging the lantern on the wall. He paused briefly before turning to her. He reached out and set the tray of food on the only piece of furniture in the stone cell. A very small wooden table in the corner next to where Sakura stood. The moment his hand left the tray he was a blur, moving so fast Sakura could barely see his movements. He came up behind her, placing a kunai at her throat. She tensed, not daring to move in even the smallest way.

Itachi's breath was hot against her ear as he spoke. "You will not talk to me in such a manner, _Haruno,_ " He whispered menacingly against the side of her face. "You will address me as Itachi-san or Uchiha-san. And it will be in a tone that is respectful and polite. Nothing else. Understand?"

"Yes… Uchiha-san…" Sakura said, barely above a whisper. Itachi snorted lightly, pulling the kunai away from her neck. Once again he moved so fast that Sakura could barely see. He was in front of her now, hand around her throat. He pushed her up against the wall and his hand tightened around her neck. She let out a choked gasp and weakly grabbed at the hand around her throat. He needed her to cooperate in order for this mission to go according to plan. He brought his face close, still holding her in a firm grasp. "Don't forget who I am, kunoichi." He said, and with that, he was gone.

Sakura slumped to the floor, hand going up to her throat. She breathed in a lung full of air as the tears came to her eyes. 'I'm so weak.' She thought to herself in misery. What was she supposed to do? There was no way she could fight with almost no chakra. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She let out one sob before the anger took over. Anger at herself. She stood up with determination. She had to come up with a plan. Looking to her tray of food, she decided it was no use thinking on an empty stomach.

…..

Kakashi had summoned Pakkun some time ago. They were following Sakura's scent for a bit before it disappeared not too far from where they had been fighting. Just vanished. If the Akatsuki did take her, then he wasn't surprised in the least that they weren't able to follow the scent very far. These shinobi weren't messing around. They were elite and dangerous and if they didn't want to be followed, there wouldn't be any way to find them.

They had gone back to the campsite to develop a plan of action. Naruto was beside himself with guilt and anger. He wasn't much help at coming up with anything logical. Kakashi, himself, was having a hard time wrapping his head around the situation. 'Sakura… She's gone…' He kept thinking to himself, helplessly. 'How could I have let this happen…' He thought as he ran a hand up through his long silver hair.

Pakkun sat by patiently waiting instructions as Kakashi paced around the clearing. Finally, he kneeled down to the ground and the little dog trotted up. "Go to the leaf village Pakkun. Inform Lady Tsunade what has happened. Have her send back-up to this location. If anything changes, I'll send a carrier bird to intercept you." Kakashi said, standing. Pakkun looked up, worried. "You got it. See you in a couple days. Stay safe Kakashi." With that Pakkun ran off in the direction they had come.

Naruto looked at Kakashi, confused. "We aren't going with him?" He asked. Kakashi shook his head slowly, meeting Naruto's eyes. They stared at each other for a long time. Kakashi sighed and turned away. "Naruto… We have to continue with our original mission." Naruto's mouth fell open. He was about to protest when Kakashi raised a hand. "I don't like it either, Naruto. I would much rather search these woods a hundred more times if it would bring us to Sakura, but it won't." Kakashi said, sternly. "We must go on to find Sasuke. He is the one person that may have information on the whereabouts of the Akatsuki hideout."

Naruto's face contorted into a wave of different emotions as he stared at Kakashi. He knew he was right, after all. He just couldn't bear the thought of leaving Sakura behind and continuing on with their mission. But he also knew Kakashi cared about Sakura as deeply as he did. He stared at the ground not meeting Kakashi's face and nodded once.

At that, they took off into the trees toward their original destination. Kakashi pulled up his headband, revealing his sharingan. 'You better be here, Sasuke,' was all he could think as they pushed themselves forward.

…

Sakura could feel the bruises forming on her neck. Not wanting to waste chakra, she lightly healed them, just enough so that the pain wasn't a bother. It had been a while since Itachi had last come to see her. She couldn't help but feel grateful that he had left the light this time. It made it easier to think, not staring into blank darkness. She had come up with a plan in his absence.

As much as she didn't like it, it was what had to be done. To the best of her abilities, she would cooperate. It was the only way she could see herself getting out of this room and finding out where they were exactly. By now, she had a pretty good idea of what they wanted from her but it was only a guess. 'Naruto,' she thought, sadly. She figured if they had kept her alive, chances were her teammates were not captured. They were going to use her as bait to get Naruto.

It was the only logical explanation. After all, Itachi and Kisame had been assigned to retrieve Naruto and they were the ones who had her. She clenched her fists. There was no way she would allow herself to be the reason Naruto was captured. She'd do everything in her power to make sure that didn't happen. But as of right now, the only thing she could do was cooperate.

She heard footsteps in the hall and stood, leaning against the far wall with her arms crossed in front of her. Itachi entered in his usual fashion. He wasn't carrying a food tray this time, however. Just a large black item that looked somewhat like a blanket. He looked at her and motioned to it. "This," He said, holding it up to give her a better look, "Is what you'll be wearing from now on." It was a plain black cloak, much like the one he wore but without the red clouds.

Sakura gritted her teeth. 'There's no fucking way,' she thought to herself as he held it out to her. But then she remembered she was supposed to be cooperating now. Reluctantly, she reached out and grabbed it. It was heavy but the fabric was soft in her hands. She'd put off wearing it until she absolutely had to.

"It gets very cold here," Itachi said, motioning with his hands above them, "especially at night as I am sure you noticed." Sakura just nodded once but said nothing. She had assumed when the temperature dropped some time ago it had turned into night. She had been wishing she brought a warmer jacket but was not prepared to be handed an Akatsuki cloak to wear. If it had been any other time, she would have burned it the first chance she got. But the circumstances were… touchy.

Itachi was staring at her with his intense red eyes. She held the cloak in her arms and bowed her head. "Thank you, Itachi-san," she said, not meeting his eyes. He nodded. "Put it on," he demanded, watching her face. Sakura looked down at the bundle in her arms and mentally cringed. She didn't expect him to make her put it on now. Slowly, she pulled it on and looked down at heself. It was a little big but it was really warm. Wearing it made her feel like a traitor and she resisted the urge to tear it off. Itachi looked her up and down and nodded, approvingly. Then he stepped forward until he was only a foot in front of her. Sakura looked up, expecting to meet his cold, red eyes.

However, when she met them they were ebony black. Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't help but stare into them. They were the exact color of Sasuke's but a slightly different shape. They were framed by thick, dark eyelashes. If she didn't know any better, she would never guess these were the eyes of a merciless killer. He was squinting at her slightly, almost as if he were trying to focus better. It gave him the look of a quiet observer. Not someone who would likely slit your throat for breathing the wrong way.

She found a certain familiarity there in those depths and it sent a jolt through her heart. It had been a long time since she had seen Sasuke, nevermind had any feelings for him besides hate. She despised him so much that she forgot all of the things she had once liked about him. His eyes were one of those things she remembered now as she stared into his brother's like ones. Realizing she had been staring a little too long, blood rushed to her cheeks as she looked away. If there was one thing she shouldn't be doing, it was getting lost in the eyes of her enemy.

Itachi watched her silently as she blushed and turned her face away from his. He couldn't help but think how odd this girl was. Normally prisoners were on their knees shaking by now, but she just stood there staring at him as if he were just another person. "Haruno," he said, causing her to look back up at him, if not directly in the eyes, "I assume you have figured out by now why you are here." At this, her eyes narrowed, all trace of the blush that had risen to her cheeks, gone. She glared at him with hatred but gave him a single, stiff nod. "Tell me, what is it you think we want with you," he said, still watching her intently. She fidgeted a bit under his intense gaze. She tried to take a step back but was met by the wall. Itachi took a step closer, once again closing the gap. She glared at him, "I believe you wish to use me to obtain Naruto and the nine-tailed fox spirit trapped inside of him… Uchiha-san," She stated, not daring to break eye contact now.

He didn't say anything, just held her gaze. She swallowed as he watched her. Then he spoke again, leaning in close, "I will not confirm or deny what the organization's plans are for you. However, I have my own personal agenda that requires your assistance," he said, in his usual, velvety tone. He reached his hand up, and placed it on the wall behind her head, closing her in as they were in the corner of the room. To one side was the wall and now the other was his arm. If she had to guess, she would assume he was trying to intimidate her. Unfortunately, it was working.

He was so close, she could hear every breath he took. His scent overcame her, filling her senses with the smell of spices and the underlying trace of soap. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but her heart was beating so hard she could hear it loud and clear. She was letting him get to her and that was exactly what he wanted. He lowered his head so that his eyes were level with hers. "It isn't going to be a problem, is it?" He said in a low, threatening tone. Sakura swallowed and slowly shook her head. Itachi reached up with his other hand and ran it down the side of her face. "Good," He said, pulling his hand away and standing up straighter.

"First," he said, "you must prove you are worthy of my trust." She watched him, not daring to move. He stepped back some, making a few quick hand signs. Once again, he thrust his hand quickly into her stomach. This time, she felt something release and then some chakra flood back into her system. It was almost relieving. At the same time, Itachi's sharingan flashed into placed. He moved closer again, "this is my gift to you for now. You seem like a smart girl, don't do anything you'll regret. If you help me, your time here will become much simpler." He gave a small smirk, "but if you are stupid enough to cross me, I will make sure you never make it back to your precious village as the person you are. I won't kill you, but you'll wish you were dead." And with that he turned to leave.

Before he opened the door, he spoke. "I'll come back soon, Haruno." He said, with a menacing look before walking out and leaving her alone.

….

Sakura didn't know what to think of it. Of course, she had to try to escape, right? She had less than half her total chakra but she had enough control to make it last a long time. Only problem was, she had no idea where she was, how big the compound was, or how many people were stationed here. With this much chakra she was sure she'd be able to get pretty far, but if they were far from other villages it wouldn't matter. In order to break out, she needed more information. She had to think of a plan. If Naruto found out where she was, he'd be here in no time. She would never forgive herself if Naruto fell into the enemies clutches because she wasn't strong enough to escape.

But how to do it? In order to figure out where they were, the first thing she had to do was get out of this damn cell. Itachi would never let her out willingly, she knew. But what if it was beneficial to him? She had to think. An idea struck her and her stomach turned. She tried to wipe the thought away from her mind. Sitting down, she sighed, rubbing her temples. If anything, it was suicidal. She had to try something…

…..

Itachi slowly descended underground to where the prisoners were kept. As of right now there were three prisoners in the chambers. That is more at one time than ever before. Kisame and he were assigned to this base more than a year ago. However, their main focus was mainly to capture the nine-tails so they hadn't had much of a reason to keep prisoners. Occasionally they'd bring other shinobi back here to extract information from them and then dispose of them. Quick and easy. These prisoners have, by far, outlived any other person who was held by them here.

This irritated Itachi as he wasn't the type to look after people. Kisame, however, was not patient enough for the job. They would all be dead by now if Itachi had left it up to him. Unfortunately, he still needed them. It couldn't be helped. They all had a purpose to serve. He made his way down the dark hallway to the first chamber where a prisoner was being held.

He activated his sharingan as he entered. He knew it wasn't necessary but it was more for the effect. He quietly walked up to the heavily chained shinobi in front of him. The man was breathing heavily, covered in a shiny layer of sweat. Itachi kneeled down in front of the man, observing the way his muscles tensed. He knew that he was awake, though he did not open his eyes to meet Itachi's cold ones. Itachi looked over the man's abdomen, which was wrapped in a thin bandage. Blood had soaked through to the point of dripping.

He knew the young man did not have much time left. The wound was infected and oozing. Kisame's sword had damaged the man's torso to a point where there was little that could be done to heal it completely. Without extensive knowledge of medical chakra, anyway. Up until this point he had given up hope that he would be able to acquire a way to heal the wound. That is until he happened upon a certain rosy haired medic.

Itachi snorted. It really was funny how this all worked out. The hogake's apprentice. Of course. She was the missing piece of the puzzle. When she literally fell into his clutches in the forest he couldn't believe it. She was the solution. Not only would she draw the nine tails to them she had the medical knowledge that he had been seeking.

At the noise, the prisoner weakly lifted his head, finally looking up into Itachi's shining red eyes. "What.. do you have.. to be laughing about..?" He struggled to say, glaring up at the Ataksuki member above him.

Itachi stood, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. He turned to leave, slowly walking to the door. Before stepping out, he stopped. Without turning back, he spoke. "You'll find out soon enough… brother." And with that he left.

Sasuke stared at the spot where Itachi was just standing, his hands tightening into fists.

...

Sakura watched from where she was sitting as the door to her cell swung open. She had to put her plan into action now. It made her sick to think about. She would be betraying the leaf village. However, she may be able to save Naruto and that would make it worth it.

Itachi stepped inside and she stood. He walked up to her and she bowed. This seemed to take him off guard as he stopped his approach. She decided this was her chance to speak. She looked into his eyes, noting that they were a brilliant red today. A chill went down her spine and she gulped. 'Get it together, Sakura.' She thought to herself.

She stood up straight. "Itachi-san," she said firmly, "I would like to propose a… opportunity.. for the Akatsuki."

Itachi didn't show any outward emotions. However, he was extremely surprised. Prisoners didn't normally address him at all. They never lived long enough. He nodded to her, keeping his sharp eyes on her.

Sakura was surprised she had gotten this far without any bodily harm. She was sure he would've at least stopped her by now. She shakily sighed and continued, "It has come to my attention that we have a common problem in the form of your brother, Itachi."

Now Itachi was extremely shocked. His eyebrows drew together and his muscles tensed. Before she knew what was happening, Sakura was pushed up against wall, once again. The look on Itachi's face was furious. She was scared now. Sure this was end, she closed her eyes and waited.

Itachi's face was inches from hers. His voice was menacing as he spoke, low and threatening, "Tell me, kunoichi, how do you know about my brother's current condition?"

Sakura's mind was racing. 'Current condition?' She thought to herself, confused. In a shaky voice, she answered, "I'm not sure what you mean, Uchiha-san… All I know is that Sasuke has been causing your organization some problems. I was assigned to bring him back to the leaf… Or kill him. I only know of his general whereabouts.."

Itachi stared at the girl in front of him. She couldn't possibly know about Sasuke's current condition, right? Of course not. Only Kisame knew. However, he should find out what she knew. Actually, he was curious about this girl anyway. He made eye contact with Sakura and everything was transformed.

...

Sakura stared up at the blood red sky from where she was tethered to a rough wooden pole. She knew what this was. The moon stared back at her from up above. Tsukuyomi.

Itachi stepped forward, pulling out a sword. Sakura stared at him. She had seen the effects this jutsu could have on a person. Hours, days, weeks. All taking place within a second in real life. Torture at its finest degree. She blinked as he came closer, yet somehow she didn't feel scared. Somewhere inside she knew this was an illusion. A potentially painful one, but an illusion nonetheless.

Itachi circled her. "Haruno Sakura," he spoke slowly, dragging out her name, "I need you to tell me everything you know about the state of Sasuke Uchiha and his whereabouts."

Sakura frowned. His voice was fuzzy, as if coming from another room. She understood him, but barely. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She reached her hands up to her throat in confusion. Itachi stopped in front of her. "I'm afraid that if you don't tell me what I need to know I will have to force the information out of you." Itachi informed her in the same far away voice.

Sakura once again opened her mouth to speak but nothing happened. She stared at Itachi, nervous now. He raised the sword up to the level her abdomen was. She tried once more to speak to no avail. Itachi thrust the sword forward, toward her. She watched the sword sink into her skin and the pain was suddenly blinding. Lights flashed behind her eyes and suddenly she wasn't in the blood red world anymore.

She looked around, confused. She was standing at the edge of a forest, next to a river. Up ahead there she could hear the sounds of a waterfall. She didn't know why but she felt as though she should follow the river that way. It was dark and cool but she could tell she was in the fire country. She got to the waterfall and walked to the edge of the cliff. At first she didn't see anything but as she was standing there, she noticed two individuals down below. At first glance they looked like any two leaf shinobi. But as she watched them she gasped in shock. One was a young Itachi. The other was very clearly also a member of the Uchiha clan. He looked about the same age as Itachi, maybe older. From up here she couldn't make out the details of the conversation. As she watched, the older one reached up and took something from his face and handed it to Itachi. She couldn't see what it was as his back was to her. However, Itachi looked shocked as he reached out for it. They talked for a bit and Itachi looked sad. Then the older Uchiha stepped backwards a few steps. Sakura gasped once more as the man stepped over the edge of the cliff and fell to the river below. Itachi stepped forward, watching sadly as the man fell to his death. The emotion was clear on his face, which was something that Sakura had never seen before. Then, he looked up at where she was standing and she felt a burning pain behind her eyes.

She screamed in pain and fell backwards. She tried to open them but everything was white.  
...

Itachi was drenched in sweat as he came out of the memory. He looked at the pink haired girl in front of him, clutching her head with tears running down her face. What just happened? First the girl broke out of his Tsukuyomi and then somehow triggered that memory. But why? No one besides Sasuke should be able to break out of his genjutsu. And even a sharingan user wouldn't have been able to trigger that memory.

"Haruno." He said firmly. Sakura's eyes shot open and Itachi was shocked. They weren't their normal seafoam green. They were a deep red with no pupil. She gasped and blinked, looking around wildly. Her eyes slowly faded back to her normal green. Itachi was frozen in place, surprised at the events that had just taken place. He could see that whatever happened, she had not done on purpose. If he had to guess, he would say she probably had never experienced anything like that either from her bewildered actions.

As her vision came back, she kept looking wildly around the room, breathing heavily. Finally, her eyes landed on him and she froze. She didn't know how he was going to react. They stared at each other for a while, neither daring to move.

Finally, Itachi stood slowly. "I will be back later to discuss this… And other issues." With that he got up and left.

Sakura let exhaustion take over and slumped against the wall. Within minutes she was asleep.


End file.
